Techniques of Close Reading 2/e

Barry Brummett is the Charles Sapp Centennial Professor in Communication Emeritus of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas, Austin. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in 1978 and taught at Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin before coming to the University of Texas at Austin in 2001, retiring in 2022. Brummett has authored, coauthored, or edited numerous articles, scholarly essays, and books, including Rhetoric of Style, Clockwork Rhetoric: The Language and Style of Steampunk, Contemporary Apocalyptic Rhetoric, Techniques of Close Reading, Rhetoric of Machine Aesthetics, and The Politics of Style and the Style of Politics. His research pursuits include the rhetoric of popular culture, epistemology, and the theories of Kenneth Burke.

Preface Chapter 1. On Noticing What You See and Hear Being a Reader, Being a Critic Summary and Looking Ahead Chapter 2. Theories, Methods, Techniques Exploring New Territories: Thinking Deductively and Inductively Starting From the Top, Deductively: Theories and Their Methods Knowledge, Risk, and Ethics in Theories and Methods Working With Theories and Methods Halfway Down, Deductively: Methods and Techniques Heading Back Up Again, Inductively: From Techniques to Theory Summary and Looking Ahead Chapter 3. Using Form for Close Reading Narrative Genre Persona Form and Politics Summary and Looking Ahead Chapter 4. Ideology and Argument Four Questions to Ask About a Text Putting Our Questions Together: A Brief Example Three Examples for Close Reading Summary and Looking Ahead Chapter 5. Transformations in Texts: Seeing Beneath the Surface Metaphor Metonymy Synecdoche Irony Summary and Looking Ahead Chapter 6. Close Readings Using Multiple Techniques The First Inauguration of Barack Obama in a Cartoon A Group of Ads for Liberty Mutual Chapter 7. Conclusion References and Recommended Reading Index About the Author