http://www.ck12.org Chapter 6. Writing about Literature: Analyzing Prose
6.1 Writing about Literature: Analyzing Prose
Learning Objectives
- Understand the different between connotation and deontation.
- Identify metaphors and similes in a text.
- Look for repetition within a text.
- Find imagery in a text.
Introduction
Now that we’ve gone over the basics of reading literature, we’ll explore some of the finer points of reading prose.
What’s Prose, you ask? Proseis writing without a rhyme scheme or metrical structure, written in full sentences,
and often grouped into paragraphs. It’s the kind of writing we do most often. In fact, the writing you’re reading at
this very moment is prose. Considering that most of what we read is prose, it is helpful to know what to look for
when analyzing it. Thus, in this chapter we will focus on close reading, or looking for the important details in a text,
narration, and structure.
Close Reading
Connotation vs. Denotation
Before we begin looking for words to consider in our literary analysis, we must first look at how we interpret words.
When we read something, we first understand it at its most basic, literal level. This is calleddenotation.You can
think of the denotation of a word as its dictionary definition. For instance, when you read the word “cow,” you
think of a four-legged herbivorous mammal. However, every word carries aconnotationas well as a denotation. A
connotation is the non-literal meaning we associate with words. To continue our example, “cow” might connotate
farm life, the countryside, or a glass of fresh milk.
TABLE6.1: Here are a few more examples of connotations and their possible denotations.
Word(s) Denotation Connotation
George Washington First U.S. President Never told a lie, cut down a cherry
tree, wooden teeth, crossed the
Deleware
Rose A flower Love, affection, romance, sensual-
ity, beauty, the color red
New York City A major U.S. city Crowded, center of art and culture,
night life, traffic, Statue of Liberty
Green A color Vegetation, fertility, growth, envy,
money, life, springtime, prosperity