You read the work to find out what goes on where, what happens, who says what and why. You re not looking very deeply, just going from the first page to the last. That takes a different kind of attention. That s where critical readings come in. We say readings in the plural because you will probably need to read the work at least several more times to develop your interpretations and find the information needed to back them up.
Critical readings involve slow, careful, close attention to the text.
You should take notes, ask questions, jot down your ideas, responses, perplexities. If you re a visual learner, you might make outlines or action maps, highlight key passages in different colors, and so forth. This careful process of reading and rereading will help you unfold the text s critical possibilities. In finding a place to enter the conversation about a work of literature, the construction is often the easiest place to start. Metaphor Metaphor is a general term for language that has enriched meanings and a specific term for literary comparison.