How to Read Texts: A Student Guide to Critical Approaches and Skills

by Neil McCaw

How to Read Texts introduces key critical approaches to literary texts and offers a practical introduction for students developing their own critical and close-reading skills. Written in a jargon-free style, it explains critical concepts, approaches and ideas that includes debates around critical theory; the role of history and context; the links between creativity and criticism; and the relationship between author, reader and text. Chapters include Beginning from where you are-finding your critical voice; The creative critic; and Unveiling the self-conscious critic.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2008

Reviews

[Anne Oftedahl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I mean... Useful, I suppose, but it's just really dry - standard textbook

Read for my Language-Writing-Reading class

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A considered look into how students read texts on the eve of college/university level courses. I plan on using this in my AP Literature class next year as a primer into the course and to help develop student comprehension by making the act of read more explicit as a conscious act.

Neil McCaw's 2nd edition divides into seven chapters: What type of reader are you right now?; Reading creatively; Reading texts closely, Reading biography, authors and readers; Reading genre and literary/cultural history; Reading social and political history; Reading philosophically; or, critical theory.

In each chapter, McCaw provides concrete mini-lessons while also introducing semiotics and gradually building up to critical theory

[Hermione Laake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful book for any English undergraduate who wants to understand some of the critical approaches to texts and ways of reading them. I found it useful as an undergraduate in my first year at university.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough beginning exploration of reading critically and using theory. My major issues come in its very white, heteronormative approach. There’s hardly any authors of color represented, critical race theory doesn’t appear in Chapter 7, and the opening questionnaire on “what type of reader are you” seems to misinterpret what intersectionality is. In conjuncture with critical readings, it can be a good introduction to different methods of critical reading. Perhaps it’s better suited for college freshmen or late high schoolers.

[Natalee · Rating 3 out of 5]

While a little dry, this book gives a pretty good overview into the mechanisms of literary analysis and the general reading of texts. I especially appreciated the “Further Reading” sections at the end of each chapter.

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful and accessible wit-sharpener for readers.

[Maria del Pilar]

Second reading

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't agree with all aspects of the book but it's very helpful and useful.