Close Reading and the Making of Subjects.
The article examines the resurgence of close reading in American literary studies through four recent academic books, each exploring its history, pedagogy, and significance. John Guillory theorizes close reading as a "cultural technique" that cultivates self-reflexive attention, while Marion Thain a...
| Published in: | MLN Vol. 140; no. 5; pp. 1259 - 1273 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Johns Hopkins University Press
Dec2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=191898163&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 191898163 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00267910 MLN jtl: MLN issn: 00267910 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Dec2025 vid: 140 iid: 5 pid: 226 pub: Johns Hopkins University Press artinfo: ui: 191898163 10.1353/mln.2025.a981047 ppf: 1259 ppct: 14 formats: tig: atl: Close Reading and the Making of Subjects. aug: au: Segalovitz, Yael su: Attention control Identity (Psychology) Literary criticism Formalism (Literary analysis) Critical literacy Teaching methods sug: subj: Attention control Identity (Psychology) Literary criticism Formalism (Literary analysis) Critical literacy Teaching methods ab: The article examines the resurgence of close reading in American literary studies through four recent academic books, each exploring its history, pedagogy, and significance. John Guillory theorizes close reading as a "cultural technique" that cultivates self-reflexive attention, while Marion Thain and Ewan Jones frame it as a "technology of attention" shaped by literary form. Dan Sinykin and Johanna Winant present close reading as a teachable craft, and Christopher Rovee connects it to the nostalgic undercurrents of New Criticism. Despite their differing perspectives, all authors converge on the idea that close reading functions as a mode of subject-formation, influencing how readers engage with texts and themselves. The article also critiques the limited cultural scope of these discussions, suggesting that the political implications of close reading's global adaptations warrant further exploration. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y dt: @attributes: year: 2025 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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