Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice
Passage Analyses (exegeses)
A. A passage analysis, or an exegesis, is a critical and analytical reading and interpretation of a passage.
It seeks to identify, understand, and explain the underlying meaning of the passage, and begins with the idea that there is a deeper meaning to a text beyond the surface meaning.
An exegesis is a line-by-line commentary which tries to explain that deeper meaning.
B. In order to excel in a passage analysis, you will have to read your passage (and the work from which it comes) carefully and repeatedly. The goal of these assignments is to convey an understanding of the passage, its meaning(s), and its relation to the text from which it comes.
Consequently, you should not leave these until the night before they are due. Read the text in its entirety and then study the passage carefully.
C. Be careful not to impose on the passage.
Your feelings about Plutarch’s advice, for example, however problematic it may be, are not the point of this analysis; nor does it matter if his views are antiquated.
They may well be, but an exegesis seeks to explain the meaning of a passage, not to pass moral judgment on it. Explain what you think Plutarch means, not what you want him to mean or how you feel about his advice.
D. In these responses, you will have to briefly place the passage in its context within the work .
The analysis, however, is the most important component of this assignment. The majority of your submission should explain and analyze the meaning(s) of the passage, discuss the ways that the passage contributes to the themes and argument of the text as a whole, and identify any striking literary or rhetorical tools or imagery which the author uses to convey his or her point.
Do not summarize the passage or the larger text; analyze the passage. Focus on this passage and don’t get bogged down in explaining the theme or plot of the work as a whole.
E. As you work on your exegeses, consider the following questions:
1. What is the genre of the text (e.g., poetry, essay, novel, etc)? How does that genre affect the meaning?
2. What are the major themes and meanings of the work as a whole? How does this passage contribute to them? Does it complicate or refine those themes and meanings? How?
3. What does the passage tell us about the characters involved? If applicable, which characters are speaking?
4. What is the significance of this particular passage?
5. Does the passage contain allusions to other texts? How do those allusions contribute to our reading of the passage? Does it contain assumptions which influence our understanding of the themes and meaning of the larger work?
F. Essentially, you need to explain why the passage is significant.
G. Each response should be not more than two pages in length. If you think carefully about the questions above and the passages themselves, you’ll realize very quickly that this assignment cannot be done effectively in a single page.
Secondary sources are not required or permitted for this assignment. It is worth 10% of your final grade in this course.
Choose one of the passages below and prepare an analysis of it. Your analysis should explore and explain the meaning and significance of the passage. Be careful not to impose on the passage, though.
Your analysis, or exegesis, should explain the passage, not pass moral judgment on it. Explain what you think the author means, not how you feel about the author’s meaning.
You should briefly place the passage in its context within the work (i.e., note in a sentence or two, but no more, anything of particular relevance that happens before or after; where does this passage appear in the text?).
The analysis, however, is the most important component of this assignment. The majority of your submission should explain and analyze the meaning(s) of the passage, discuss the ways that the passage contributes to the themes and argument of the text as a whole, and identify any striking literary or rhetorical tools or imagery which the author uses to convey his or her point.
Do not summarize the passage or the larger text; analyze the passage. Focus on this passage and don’t get bogged down in explaining the theme or plot of the work as a whole.
You might consider the following questions, but please do not simply answer them in a list.
What is the genre of the text (e.g., poetry, essay, novel, etc)? How does that genre affect the meaning?
What are the major themes and meanings of the work as a whole? How does this passage contribute to them? Does it complicate or refine those themes and meanings? How?
What does the passage tell us about the characters involved? If applicable, which characters are speaking? What is the significance of this particular passage?
Does the passage contain allusions to other texts? How do those allusions contribute to our reading of the passage?
Does it contain assumptions which influence our understanding of the themes and meaning of the larger work?
Your response should be not more than 2 pages in length (600-700 words), so you will have to consider carefully what the most important aspects of the passage are.
You cannot explain everything, so focus on what you see as the most significant aspects of its meaning, and explain them.
Although secondary sources are not permitted, include a bibliography which identifies the edition of the text which you are using in Chicago Style.
Choose one passage for this analysis:
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