Dan Sinykin

A user's guide to the fundamental practice of literary studies, providing context, examples, and practical exercises Close reading-making an argument based in close attention to a text-is the foundation of literary studies. This book offers a guide to close reading, treating it as a skill that can be taught and practiced. It first explains what close reading is, what it...

In the late 1950s, Random House editor Jason Epstein would talk jazz with Ralph Ellison or chat with Andy Warhol while pouring drinks in his office. By the 1970s, editors were poring over profit-and-loss statements. The electronics company RCA bought Random House in 1965, and then other large corporations purchased other formerly independent publishers. As multinational conglomerates consolidated the industry,...

A user's guide to the fundamental practice of literary studies, providing context, examples, and practical exercises. Close Reading for the Twenty-First Century focuses on close reading—making an argument based on close attention to a text—as the foundation of literary studies. This book offers a guide to close reading, treating it as a skill that can be taught and practiced. It...