Explication de Texte

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Explication de Texte is a French formalist method of literary analysis that allows for limited reader response, similar to close reading in the English-speaking literary tradition.

A simple format for writing an Explication de Texte is this:

  1. A brief overview of what happened literally— not figuratively
  2. The structuring of the literature (e.g. Was it a sonnet? What kind?) and the tone throughout the piece
  3. The poetic devices used throughout the literature (e.g. personification)
  4. Conclusion. You can finally include the deeper side of the literature— the actual meaning of it