Prose Analysis
Techniques for Prose Analysis
Assumptions of close-reading prose:
1. Writing style is itself an expression of philosophy; or, to put it another way, form contains ideas
2. The formal aspects of writing - diction, sentence structure etc. - may work against the literal sense of the writing - or enhance it.
3. The subtleties of connotation and diction form a layer of meaning which is additional to the surface meaning of the text.
4. Every prose text comes with a host of expections - of genre, writing conventions, and the relationship of speaker and reader. Most (literary) texts operate by defying these rules and expectations.
LANGUAGE
1. Diction: types of words.
a. Connotative words vs. denotative words: this is a simple distinction in theory; in practice, it requires some judgement to tell the difference between the two. Denotative words refer to a specific referent; connotative language has other associations in addition to its primary meaning. A general word (such as "home") is more likely to have connotative value than specific language (such as "house," which describes a type of building). Understanding connotation is not a science, because it depends on the cultural, conventional associations with the word.
b. i. Genre of discourse: the words: "commit homicide," "blow away," and "murder" all mean to kill someone. They come, respectively, fromlegal discourse, vocal slang, and everyday (middle style) usage. "Blow away" and "murder" each carry a distinct connotative and emotive value.
Similarly, "happen," "occur," "manifest," and "go down" each have a distinct level of formality. They are similar in meaning but come from distinct genres of discourse: everyday usage (happen), formal usage (occur), philosophical discourse (manifest), and slang (go down). "Happen" and "go down" could be used in speech; "occur" and "manifest," being more formal, would not ordinarily be used in speech.
ii. Modes of discourse: vocal / written / horatory. Literary
Assumptions of close-reading prose:
1. Writing style is itself an expression of philosophy; or, to put it another way, form contains ideas
2. The formal aspects of writing - diction, sentence structure etc. - may work against the literal sense of the writing - or enhance it.
3. The subtleties of connotation and diction form a layer of meaning which is additional to the surface meaning of the text.
4. Every prose text comes with a host of expections - of genre, writing conventions, and the relationship of speaker and reader. Most (literary) texts operate by defying these rules and expectations.
LANGUAGE
1. Diction: types of words.
a. Connotative words vs. denotative words: this is a simple distinction in theory; in practice, it requires some judgement to tell the difference between the two. Denotative words refer to a specific referent; connotative language has other associations in addition to its primary meaning. A general word (such as "home") is more likely to have connotative value than specific language (such as "house," which describes a type of building). Understanding connotation is not a science, because it depends on the cultural, conventional associations with the word.
b. i. Genre of discourse: the words: "commit homicide," "blow away," and "murder" all mean to kill someone. They come, respectively, fromlegal discourse, vocal slang, and everyday (middle style) usage. "Blow away" and "murder" each carry a distinct connotative and emotive value.
Similarly, "happen," "occur," "manifest," and "go down" each have a distinct level of formality. They are similar in meaning but come from distinct genres of discourse: everyday usage (happen), formal usage (occur), philosophical discourse (manifest), and slang (go down). "Happen" and "go down" could be used in speech; "occur" and "manifest," being more formal, would not ordinarily be used in speech.
ii. Modes of discourse: vocal / written / horatory. Literary