Paper #1: Text and Context: A Close Reading

As you read the selected essays from Walden--especially "Spring"--you may find yourself marveling at what a wonderful reader of nature Thoreau is. Thoreau pays close attention to the details of nature. He is a careful observer of his natural surrounding in Walden, both the small and the large. If nature is his text, Thoreau reads it closely.

As readers of literary texts about nature and the environment, you, too, will benefit from following Thoreau's practice of reading closely. In literary studies, we often call this process an explicacion de texte. For your first paper, you are to write a three page close reading of a short passage from one of texts we have read up to and including Walden. First select a passage that is central to the larger work either thematically or stylistically. You will begin your close reading with an examination of the passage you have selected, carefully analyzing the significant literary features of the passage (word choice, images, metaphors, repetition, rhythm, etc.) as well as explicating the idea presented in the passage. As your paper unfolds, you will move from text to context: How does the passage you have selected connect to the immediate context? and then How does the passage relate to the larger text as a whole?

Your final paper should be approximately three pages long, formatted according to the conventions of an academic paper. As noted on the syllabus your paper is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, 16 October 2008.

I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you at any time while you are writing your process to help you in selecting a passage, to read a draft or your paper, or to answer specific questions about writing. If you have any questions about the assignment, do not wait for a conference; please raise them in class, too, so that others may benefit from the answer as well.

Resources

Tips for writing a literary analysis paper

The Skidmore College Writing Center

The Skidmore Guide to Writing