explication de texte

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explication de texte

A student writes an explication de texte in a notebook.

Definition

Noun: A method of literary criticism that involves the detailed, line-by-line analysis of a text to reveal its structure, meaning, and the relationships between its parts. It is a close reading technique that pays meticulous attention to the language, style, and formal elements of a work.

Usage

This term is used primarily in academic and literary contexts to describe a specific, rigorous analytical approach to a written work, often a poem or a short prose passage. It implies a systematic unpacking of the text.

Examples
  • The professor's explication de texte of the sonnet revealed subtle patterns of imagery we had all missed.
  • Her essay was not a broad review but a precise explication de texte, focusing solely on the opening paragraph of the novel.
  • The course on French poetry emphasized the technique of explication de texte.
Advanced Usage
  • While traditionally associated with French literary analysis, the principles of explication de texte are fundamental to many schools of close reading in English and comparative literature.
  • A successful explication de texte does not just paraphrase the content but explains the text creates its effects through diction, syntax, tone, and figurative language.
Variants and Related Words
  • Explication (n): The act of explaining or interpreting something in detail. While "explication" is a more general English word, "explication de texte" refers specifically to the literary method.
  • Close reading (n): A synonymous term in English-language literary criticism for the detailed analysis of a text's language and form.
Synonyms
  • Close reading
  • Textual analysis
  • Literary analysis
  • Critical interpretation
Antonyms
  • Impressionistic criticism
  • Plot summary
  • General review
explication de texte

A student writes an explication de texte in a notebook.

Noun
  1. a method of literary criticism that analyzes details of a text in order to reveal its structure and meaning