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

Noun

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