Explication de Texte Guidelines
BASIC OUTLINE FOR AN EXPLICATION DE TEXTE
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Reading the text
1. Read the text out loud several times, paying attention to its difficulties (words, expressions, grammar).
2. Ask yourself at this point some general questions about the text. Is it is comic, serious; a monologue, dialog (slow or rapid); is it a description, reflection, confession, etc?
3. Try to find the rhythm of the text: slow, rapid, even, uneven.
4. The purpose of this reading is to make your first concrete observations about the form and content of the text. You should get a sense of the natural tone of the text, the unity or variety of its ideas or expressed feelings.
B. Examine the difficult parts of the text.
1. What do the difficult words and sentences mean? Remember that there may be more than one meaning intended.
2. What do the images (colors, forms, abstractions) and literary, historical, and/or mythological allusions mean? Identify the figures of speech and thought used. See Web sites about Figures of Speech on the Supplementary Materials page (added 8/21/05).
C. Examine the difficult technical aspects.
1. Grammatical structures.
2. Sentence or verse structures.
II. PRESENTATION OF THE TEXT
A. Identification and situation. (Not necessary for in-class exposé)
1. Briefly situate the text and its author historically.
a. Who is the author?
b. When was the text written?
c. In what circumstances was the text written?
2. The only information you need to present is that which applies directly to the text in question.
B. Preliminaries.
1. Make an outline of the text to establish its principal divisions.
2. Briefly indicate the main idea of the text: what is it about?
3. When appropriate, situate your passage within the plot of the entire work which is being studied.
III. EXAMINATION OF THE TEXT: Form and Content
A. This part consists of a detailed analysis of the text: examine the ideas
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Reading the text
1. Read the text out loud several times, paying attention to its difficulties (words, expressions, grammar).
2. Ask yourself at this point some general questions about the text. Is it is comic, serious; a monologue, dialog (slow or rapid); is it a description, reflection, confession, etc?
3. Try to find the rhythm of the text: slow, rapid, even, uneven.
4. The purpose of this reading is to make your first concrete observations about the form and content of the text. You should get a sense of the natural tone of the text, the unity or variety of its ideas or expressed feelings.
B. Examine the difficult parts of the text.
1. What do the difficult words and sentences mean? Remember that there may be more than one meaning intended.
2. What do the images (colors, forms, abstractions) and literary, historical, and/or mythological allusions mean? Identify the figures of speech and thought used. See Web sites about Figures of Speech on the Supplementary Materials page (added 8/21/05).
C. Examine the difficult technical aspects.
1. Grammatical structures.
2. Sentence or verse structures.
II. PRESENTATION OF THE TEXT
A. Identification and situation. (Not necessary for in-class exposé)
1. Briefly situate the text and its author historically.
a. Who is the author?
b. When was the text written?
c. In what circumstances was the text written?
2. The only information you need to present is that which applies directly to the text in question.
B. Preliminaries.
1. Make an outline of the text to establish its principal divisions.
2. Briefly indicate the main idea of the text: what is it about?
3. When appropriate, situate your passage within the plot of the entire work which is being studied.
III. EXAMINATION OF THE TEXT: Form and Content
A. This part consists of a detailed analysis of the text: examine the ideas