Critical Reading Strategies
Louis Komjathy, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies
University of San Diego
Most of my courses involve close reading of primary texts in translation. Especially in upper-division courses, students develop critical reading skills and engage in deep textual analysis and reflection.
Most texts are hermeneutically open, meaning that there are many viable interpretations. However, the relative strength of each interpretation may be determined by its use of evidential support and by its ability to provide a comprehensive account. For example, some sections or passages of a given text may be challenged by others.
Close reading involves giving particular attention to the following textual dimensions:
Allegory: Are there symbols, characters, or events that represent a different metaphysical, political or social situation?
Allusion: Does the text make references, explicit or indirect, to people, places, events, or other texts? What is the purpose? For example, are references to specific people or events used to add support for a given perspective or viewpoint?
Ambiguity: Is the text obscure or intentionally circumspect in places? Is there a purpose to speaking indirectly or vaguely?
Audience: For whom is the text written and by whom is it intended to be read? Are there restrictions in terms of class, gender, community-standing, and so forth? Historically, would you have access to the text?
Author: Who wrote the text? What is his/her background and historical context? If the work is anonymous or pseudonymous, why is this case?
Imagery: What types of images are used in the text? Is there descriptive language that evokes sensory experience?
Metaphors: Does the text compare two different ideas as though they are synonymous? An example of metaphor is the following: “The old man’s face was a landscape.”
Parable: Does the text contain stories that aim to illustrate a moral or religious lesson?
Point of View (Viewpoint): Whose perspective is expressed in the text? Where is the speaker located in his/her given community and society? What factors influence that perspective?
Setting: What time, location, and circumstances provide the main backdrop and mood for the text? Is the setting actual or imagined/projected? For example, does the text use an earlier setting to frame the text, which was written later? Why?
Similes: Does the text employ the words “like” or “as” in order to compare two different ideas? An example of simile is the following: “Human existence is like swimming underwater.”
Symbolism: What types of symbols are used to represent ideas and emotions? An example of a symbol is the linga (cylindrical Hindu ritual object) for Shiva’s power. From a psychoanalytic perspective, it is seen as a phallic symbol.
Themes: What broad ideas, messages, or lessons are conveyed in the text? What are the central concerns or topics?
Tone: What is the overall mood expressed in the text? Is it critical and argumentative? Is it world-affirming or world-negating?
Verb Tense: Does the text use active (“I learned”) or passive (“I was taught”) sentence patterns? Does this convey something important?
Vocabulary: Is a unique vocabulary utilized in the text? Does such language assist the identification of the author or community?
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