Hello!
Welcome to week 4 of our close(r) reader series, designed to help you become a more self-aware reader and set meaningful reading goals for the year ahead.
Week 1 was all about exploring your reading habits and history
Week 2 was all about your reading environment
Week 3 was all about literary theories and different lenses you can use to analyze readings
And now, in week 4, we’re going to talk about how to bridge your first two weeks of work with this idea of literary “lenses” or theories — and unlock some opportunities to deepen your reading (no matter what you’re reading!).
A reader’s question
Last week, Lillian asked: “My question is how would I know or decide what lens I would put on when I open a book for the first time? Is it only on re-read after you know what the story is about?”
The answers to this question are exactly what I’ll be helping you explore today.
So! You’re going to need your handy dandy note-taking and writing materials once again. Gather your notes from writing from weeks 1-2, and any notes you took during week 3, and we’ll dive into today’s exercise.
You’ll need about an hour today. (Or more, as needed!)
If you made any notes about making your reading or writing spaces more comforting or comfortable during week 2, take a moment to set up your workspace for today’s exercise. I highly recommend a favorite beverage or snack and maybe a great playlist or ambient video.
Step 1: Time to review
Your first step today is to look back over the writing you’ve done for this series so far. Read it slowly; circle parts that are resonating as you read over them again. Take additional notes, if you feel inspired.
Ask yourself:
What do I notice about the observations I’ve made so far?
What else do I want to think about, when it comes to my reading habits or environments?
Which of the “lenses” or theories from week 3 am I still thinking about or curious about?
Take about 10 minutes to review your writing, take any new notes for yourself, or open up new questions. You can set a timer, if you’d like.
Step 2: Time to write
Now, it’s time for a timed free write.
Take a few deep breaths and read the questions below, then start a twenty-minute timer. (You can do it!)
As soon as it starts ticking, write—without stopping—for the entire time. You can answer one of the questions, or all of them. Follow your instinct.
And hey: Put your phone across the table or under your chair, so you’re not tempted to pick it up during the twenty minutes you’re writing.
It’s very likely that you’ll run out of things to write at least once, but try to keep your hand moving. When you get stuck or bored with one question, pick another and keep going. If you’re truly stuck for answers, you can write questions about the questions to jumpstart your thinking process.
(If you feel yourself becoming judgmental of yourself or having big feelings about what you’re writing, that’s important information. Notice it.)
Questions: What do I notice the most as I read? (tone? voice? setting? pace?) // What kinds of stories or characters do I enjoy reading the most? // What books have I read that have had the deepest impact on me emotionally? // When was the last time a book changed my mind—and how did it do so? // What kinds of themes, ideas, or settings do I love to read about?
When your timer goes off, stop writing. Take one or two minutes to blink your eyes, stretch your arms, or stand up and shake out. Then, we’ll do it all over again.
Step 3: More writing time
Okay, let’s do that process again.
Twenty minutes, no stopping, with a new batch of questions.
Questions: What do you wish you noticed when you read? // What is a book you wish to read, but have felt intimidated by or too bored to stick with? // What are the genres, authors, or eras of literature you wish you knew more about?
When your timer goes off, stop writing. Take a short break to stretch or refresh your drink, and then we’ll move into the final piece for today.
Step 4: A small interlude
Remember Lillian’s question: “How would I know or decide what lens I would put on when I open a book for the first time? Is it only on re-read after you know what the story is about?”
The wonderful and frustrating answer is both.
Say you’ve read Pride and Prejudice before—maybe dozens of times. You can use literary theory to help you crack it open in a whole new way. Say that you’ve really noticed the love story, the use of letters, and the mother’s machinations in the past. You could use certain types of analysis, like cultural studies, to examine different modes of communication in the novel work and what effects they have on the characters. You could use psychoanalysis to explore Mrs. Bennet’s nervousness (is it hysteria?). You could even use Marxist analysis to explore how labor and money work in the novel and to rethink your understanding of the first sentence of the novel on a whole new level: perhaps via economic theory of the nineteenth century?
Now, you can also use literary theory to help you make headway in a difficult, dense, or otherwise daunting text that you’ve never read before. Say you’d like to commit to a doorstopper for 2025: something classic and Russian like Anna Karenina, or modern and imaginative, like Steinbeck’s East of Eden or even something from the realm of pop genre fiction, like Stephen King’s The Stand. You could give yourself a shortlist of lenses you’d like to bring to the text—perhaps you’d like to examine The Stand through a genre-studies lens to see how King adheres to and departs from certain horror-genre constraints. You could likewise give yourself the challenge of reading East of Eden like Dr. Freud and see how it changes your understanding of the characters.
It’s all about the pairing of the literature and the lens—and the magic that your unique perspective brings to that equation.
Now, you’ll not be an expert in the application of these lenses without a lot of study—preferably via an English department with strong professors in theory and analysis. But you can learn a helluva lot on your own, so I have a handful of book recommendations for you, based on different lenses, time periods, and genres, from the Cambridge Companion series and a few other series.
Another great life hack: if you live close to a university, head to their library. Campus libraries usually have some kind of membership opportunity for residents of the area, and you may be able to browse their literary history and theory shelves for yourself—and take a few home to explore. Your local public library may also have some of the titles below available, especially the Cambridge Companion series.
[Note: the links below are affiliate links to my Bookshop.org account!]
Literary Theory: The Basics — this is a well-respected primer on literary theory and a great book to have on your shelf, should you want to really dig into different “lenses” in your reading next year.
A Companion to Literary Theory — another introductory text, this one is organized by different topics (like “Form” and “Reading” and “The Politics of Literature”) so you can explore the ones most relevant or interesting to you
The Cambridge Companion to Critical Theory — brush up on your philosophical history and learn how different philosophical lenses lend themselves to reading literature
The Cambridge Companion to Feminist Literary Theory — see how scholars from diverse backgrounds use feminist theory to analyze literature, and get a sense for the depth of this critical field
The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction — interested in a specific genre? You’re in luck! I love this book for how much it taught me about the origins of sci-fi and how to read for literary patterns in sci-fi novels across time and place. You can find a lot more genre-based companions in the Cambridge series.
The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction — interested in a specific era of literature or brand of storytelling? This companion will teach you everything you want to know about Gothic fiction and how it shifted from a time-based phenomenon to a genre all its own.
The Cambridge Companion to African American Women’s Fiction — how about literature from a specific group of authors? Learn the deep history of this literary tradition, from The Harlem Renaissance to contemporary lit.
The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Literature — get a truly comprehensive look at the connections between philosophical traditions and literary history: there are sections on genres, time periods, literary devices, and cultural contexts.
Step 5: Your final step
Look at steps 2 and 3 for today and make some observations:
What types of stories resonate most with you? What books or authors do you love?
Have you struggled to read books outside of this area of interest?
Do you tend to get frustrated with books that don’t function in certain ways (for example: do you most enjoy books that challenge your worldview and become bored if a book does not do that? Do you emotionally connect with romances and have a hard time connecting with books that lack a romantic storyline?)
What books or authors do you wish you knew how to love, but haven’t been able to read for whatever reason?
Why do you wish to have read these books you haven’t read? (for example: Are you wanting to read certain books because of the prestige surrounding them? Because someone you know loves them? Because you feel you lack the knowledge or background to “understand” them? Because you’ve got a major lack of time?)
Now, let’s do a final bit of writing.
When you look at what you’ve noticed about your own reading proclivities, what patterns arise? Are there certain questions you’re always interested in exploring? (Such as questions about sexuality and gender, or settings and environment? Queer studies, Feminist theory, or ecocriticism may be great lenses for you to explore!)
Are you more interested in a specific type of literature, like fantasy fiction? Genre studies, and specific analysis of that genre, may be a great place for you to start.
Likewise, if you’re interested in specific authors or time periods, you might start with a guide or anthology of essays about those authors or histories to get yourself inspired and to learn more about the types of lenses scholars use to understand those areas.
For your final ten minutes today, write about the literary lenses you’re most interested in learn more about, based on what you’ve noticed about your reading habits. Start with what you like most to read about, or with the kinds of stories you enjoy most. Then, branch out to consider the types of literature or books you wish you had read, and brainstorm which lenses might help you get interested.
Amazing work today!
If nothing else, I hope this week’s exercise inspires you to click around and read about the hundreds of books available on literary theory—especially those that may align most closely with your own interests, habits, and goals.
If you need a specific recommendation, feel free to reach out to me in the comments. I’m happy to do a big of digging to find titles for you!
I am so thankful for your support of the time, energy, and thinking I put into each installment of this series. Every like, comment, share, Note, and subscription means the world!
If you’ve benefitted from today’s exercise, consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Or, you can buy me a coffee!
Superb! From a secondary school teacher's perspective, when approaching a new text, that question of 'what do you notice' serves us equally well a little lower down the academic pyramid. Looking forward to the next one
I’m really enjoying working through this series. I’ve chosen to focus on a linguistic lens and am enjoying learning about the development of the theories and conceptual models. From stylistics to narratology and cognition, mental spaces and conceptual blending, there are so many fascinating rabbit holes!