5^th October’s lesson

METHODOLOGICAL STEPS TO ANALYSIS OF A LITERAry TEXT

1)    Analyse the title to see if it creates expectations, if it gives you the possibility to make conjectures about the possible content of the text (poem, novel, play).

Mental processes: create associations, make predictions, draw anticipations.

2)    Consider layout: the way words look on the text. The layout allows the reader to decide text type and sometimes even contributes to meaning. In addition, it can help the reader single out the typical conventions of text type.

3)    Read the text at least twice (make sure you understand all the words and if not try to understand the meaning of unknown words from the co-text (all that goes with the text) and only if you don’t understand their meaning resort to the monolingual dictionary.

Mental processes: follow the thread of the line, create connections and relations between words and different parts of the text, create expectations and test them with the coming lines.

4)    Analyse structure: analyse the function of the component parts of the text and find out their specific function in the economy of the text.

Mental processes: look, evaluate, judge, single out relationships between the different stanzas.

5)    DENOTATIVE ANALYSIS to express the content of the poem in your own words, paying attention not to invent but to read the text FAITHFULLY.

Mental processes: To make sense of what we read, set the text in a proper context (place and time), create questions or doubts in the reader’s mind.

WE NEVER READ ANYTHING NEUTRAL. (SIGNS ARE NEVER INNOCENT)

The role of the reader is active, because in order to create meaning during the reading process he has to interact with the text.

New words

To allow = permettere

To be allowed = ricevere il permesso

To contribute to = permettere di

To resort to = utilizzare qualcosa come risorsa

To test something = mettere alla prova qualcosa, verificare

To evaluate = valutare

To give a value = dare un valore

To judge = giudicare

UN faith = fede

Faithful = fedele

Proper = adatto