Critical Reading Log

When you have finished reading a text critically, you should be able to
articulate what it is about as a whole (macro), how the whole is
constructed of its parts (micro), and why it matters or is of value
(beyond the text).

Author(s)/Editor(s)/Translators
: Who has written, edited, and/or
translated this work? Are the
objectives of the work stated or
implied? What biases, beliefs, or
assumptions might accompany the
stated/implied objective? Who is
the narrator, and how might the
narrators interests be different
than that of the author?
Back/Front Cover: How does the
cover design influence your
reading? If possible, note the
artist/designer and whether the
art is from the same time period
as the publication of the text or a
different time period. How do any
blurbs on the cover(s) affect your
expectations?
Title and Front Matter: The title
can be considered a promise
that sets up a horizon of
expectations. What does the title
promise or lead you to anticipate?
Check for a title page, preface,
and peruse chapter headings.
What can you glean from the
overall structure? Are there
epigraphs? What do these
epigraphs mean?
Publication: What significance
might you give to the place and
time of publication? What else was
published during this time? What
was the social, cultural, and
historical context (locally and
globally)? How might the text be
read differently in different time
periods, by different audiences,
and in different social, cultural,
and historical contexts?
Preconception check: What do
you think the book will be about?
What do you already know or
think you know about this subject?
What biases, beliefs, or
assumptions do you bring to the
table?
First paragraph: The first
sentence, paragraph, page, and
chapter will teach you how to read
the rest of the book by welcoming
you into the world of the book.
What world are you being asked to
enter? Who/what is the subject of
the first sentence? What kind of
diction is used? Look for
repetitions and unusual syntax.
How does the beginning establish
themes, motifs, and symbols that
might become important later?
How are characters introduced?
Genre: Refer to the Genre
Characteristics worksheet. What
type/kind of text are you reading?
Does it use the elements of more
than one genre? Does it embrace
or reject formal generic
strategies? What is predictable,
and what is surprising?
Plot: how did this happen? How
could this happen? Is it
exceptional? How could it be
prevented in the future?

Salient oddities: Track symbols,

motifs, allusions, or other aspects
of the text that strike you as odd
and important. Note page
numbers so that you can track
reoccurring oddities and look
them up later.
Objective correlative: as defined
by T.S. Eliot, this is a set of
objects, a situation, a chain of
events that evoke a particular
emotion (Hamlet 120).
Aporias: look for tensions,
oppositions, and apparent
contradictions. Are there any
moments in the text where
meaning seems undecideable?
Micro/Macro/BTT: (refer to the
Close Reading Handout and the
Micro and Macro Analysis of
Fiction worksheet, and note page
numbers of passages that
exemplify each element. List
potential BTT connections.
What is the texts vision of the
future?
With what knowledge does the
text return the reader to the
world?
Should this be considered a great
work of art/literature? According
to what criteria?
What real world problem(s) does
the text address or solve? What
are the pros, cons, and
alternatives to the way the text
addresses these issues?
How to annotate your texts:
1. Underline major points
2. Make vertical lines in the margins next to crucial passages
3. Stars or asterisks in the margins
4. Numbers in the margins for a sequence of points
5. Numbers of other page numbers for cross-reference
6. Circle key words/phrases
7. Write in the margins, top, or bottom of the page.