Close Reading: Critical Feminist Method and Pedagogical Process

Close reading is an essential way for readers to probe the varied meanings and effects of literary texts. Close reading is also an insightful way of interrogating non-fiction and theoretical texts. Despite this range of applications, in recent scholarship about the rhetorical qualities and narratives prevalent in academic feminist writing, there is a questioning of close reading, especially in work about the pursuit of intersectionality. This chapter explores close reading as a method, its history, its implications for critical reading, and how it is used in current debates about intersectionality. By discussing the epistemological tensions the method represents, and utilising a reflective example from research about feminist pedagogy, the chapter argues for close reading to be acknowledged as a flexible method that can be used to question norms and affirm accountability in feminist thinking and practice. Subsequently, close reading is positioned as a holistic and ongoing pedagogical process for researchers.