My midterm for “Late Victorian Literature” (one of my 2 or 3 last classes before I graduate) involves reading a lot of Victorian sonnets and then doing close readings of them.
For those of you who are unaware, a “close reading” basically consists of reading a piece of work and then thinking every possible connection, every allusion and reference and possible interpretation the writer mentions or hints at, and then putting all that down on paper. Yes, the author said that the grass is green, but what did they mean by that statement? Is it a reference to Eden, or perhaps to the the grass always being greener elsewhere? Does it mean that it is springtime, or perhaps full summer? Has it rained recently… and so on, and so forth, ad infinitum.
It’s fine. I’ve never struggled with being able to put down a lot of thoughts about any particular topic, and while Late Victorian sonnets may not be my favourite literary genre, the ones we are reading are at least tangentially interesting.
Anyway, I should get back to writing that midterm… it’s due later today, and I only have a few hours to finish up before I head into school.
Hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy!