The Literary Commentary

A commentary (or explication de texte) is an exercise in the close reading of a text, in the
analysis and appreciation of its significance and form (structure and style). Students often find
such commentaries difficult, or content themselves with paraphrase. The following suggestions
might therefore be helpful.
Questions to ask of a prose passage
1. hat T!"# $% "ASSA&# is it in general (narrative, oratorical, dramatic, lyrical,
descriptive, or other)'
(. hat is the fil conducteur of the text, its )A*+ *,#A or purpose' ,oes the text have any
special -ualities that are immediately stri.ing'
/. hat is the ST012T10# of the passage' *s it organised in a certain way' 2an its various
parts be clearly delineated' *s there a pattern of subordination of one feature or group of
features to another' $r, conversely, are there a number of con3unctions' 4ow long are the
sentences' Are individual sentences carefully organised' ,o they tend to be independent of
one another' Are there ellipses or inversions'
5. ,oes the text progress through such ST!6*ST*2 %#AT10#S as enumeration, interrogation,
apostrophy, exclamation, or other' ,o you notice any peculiarities of word order' $f
punctuation' Are there repetitions of words' *f so, for what effect' hat are the results
obtained by such ,#7*2#S as simile, metaphor, periphrasis, understatement, hyperbole, and
symbolism'
8. 4ow may the 7$2A916A0! be characterised' *s it abstract' 2oncrete' Are there
allusions, proper names, archaisms, words used in special or etymological senses,
incorrections, technical terms, words of local colour'
:. hat are the #;"0#SS*7# $0,S of the passage, as opposed to the <tool words< common
to every text' Are nouns, verbs or other parts of speech used in any special way' ,oes the
presence of certain stylistic traits seem to reveal something about the author<s turn of mind or
special interests' %or example, does the choice of nouns reveal the author<s attitude toward
the external world' *s the author<s individuality revealed by his=her choice of ad3ectives,
adverbs, or verbs'
>. ,oes the author favour a particular .ind of *)A&#0!'
?. *s the 04!T4) of the passage of interest' hat expressive purpose does it serve' *s there
intentional rhythmic monotony' ,o the sentences produce an effect of rhythmic harmony
and balance, or the contrary' 4ow'
@. #xamine the 7#09 T#+S#S chosen by the author. ,o they express in some way his=her
attitude toward the actions s=he is recounting'
1A. *f *,#AS are of paramount importance in the text, what are they and what do they mean'
4ow are they presented' *s it necessary to summarise them for clearer understanding' Are
the thoughts lin.ed together in a particular way' ,oes the author attempt to influence the
reader by logic and facts, or by charm and persuasiveness'
11. ,oes the passage have a pervading T$+# (comic, ironic, tragic, or other)' ,oes the author
convey his=her own attitude to the sub3ect' here and how'
Questions to ask of a poem
1. *s the poem cast in a fixed form (sonnet or other)' *f so, does the poet wor. easily within the
confines of the predetermined framewor., or does s=he seem to chafe at the form<s
restrictions'
(. *f not a forme fixe, what form has the poet chosen' %ree verse (vers libres)' hat .ind or
.inds of lines (vers) does the author use B octosyllabes, dcasyllabes, alexandrins B or less
common ones' ,o different .inds of lines alternate or recur in any recognisable pattern'
/. Are the lines arranged into stanCas (strophes)' 4ow many strophes are there, and how many
lines to each one' *s there any change in their arrangement or pattern'
5. *f the poem is not rhymeBless (vers blancs) what .ind (or .inds) of rhyme scheme is used B
rimes plates, rimes embrasses, rimes croises B or more unusual, original, or complicated
patterns' *s there alternation of rimes masculines and rimes fminines' Are the rhymes
suffisantes, riches, or pauvres'
8. 2an the poem be logically divided into a certain number of parts' hat type of transition
exists between them (smooth, abrupt)' ,oes the poem, in its general organisation, move in a
linear, ascendingBdescending, or circular manner'
:. *s the meaning of each word of the poem clear, as well as all allusions, whether
mythological, literary or other' Are there examples of punning or wordBplay (jeux de mots)'
Are any words used in their etymological sense' %or what purpose' *s the vocabulary
predominantly abstract or concrete' *s it possible to group together a number of concrete or
abstract words in certain categories'
>. ,o some words have more than one meaning' *s their ambiguity, deliberate or unintentional'
Are some words used merely as padding to fill out the line (cheville), or because the poet
needed a certain rhyme'
?. ,o certain types of words predominate (nouns, verbs, ad3ectives, adverbs, etc.)' Are some
types of words conspicuous by their absence' ,o the ad3ectives and adverbs used seem
particularly effective'
@. *s any special use made of verb tenses or changes from one tense to another'
1A. *s the syntax regular, or are there inversions or other types of syntactic dislocation' %or what
reason do they occur'
11. ,oes the poet seem particularly concerned with relationships between sound and meaning'
*n what specific instances' ,o certain vowels or consonants predominate' ith what effect'
Are examples of the following to be foundD alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia,
dissonance, internal rhyme' hat is their function' Are there unusual or recherchE effects of
euphony or cacophony (as, for example, hiatus)' hat relationships exist between the sounds
and other elements of the poem'
1(. hat is the basic rhythm of the poem (slow, fast, heavy irregular)' 4ow is it modified during
the course of the poem by the poet<s treatment of csure, coupes, enjambement' ith what
aim of heightened expression or accentuation or underlining the meaning of certain words'
hat effect do they have upon maintaining, hastening, or retarding the movement of the
poem' 4ow is the tempo increased or slowed down in other ways (repetitions, mute e<s,
choice of certain sonorities, isolated lines, etc.)' hat general relationship exists between the
rhythm and other elements of the poem'
Writing the commentary
The commentary should consist of a general introduction, a detailed study of the text and a
conclusion. *t may be laid out as followsD
1. General introduction
This should consist of one brief paragraph, situating the passage in its context. *f you are dealing
with an extract from a play, novel, long poemD
state where the extract is situated in the text, e.g. act, scene
give the relevant information about the situation at this point, i.e. whatever information
is vital in order to bring out the full significance of the passage
DO NOT explain the whole plot, basic relationships between characters, etc. and DO
NOT paraphrase
*f you are dealing with a short, complete poemD
say from which collection of poems the poem is ta.en, and what significance (if any) this
has
state briefly the general sub3ect(s) of passage
2. Detailed tudy of the text !the main "art of the commentary#
&o through the text commenting on any features of content or style that you find noteworthy, in
the order in which they arise in the text. !ou may find it helpful to number lines for ease of
reference.
(a) ContentD as. yourself -uestions such as the followingD
Extract and complete poem
4ow does the general theme develop' 2onsider together with this the structure of the
passage B how is it built up B e.g. does it fall naturally into certain divisions'
4ow does the authors=he try to ma.e us identify with B or alienate us from B the
protagonists'
Extract only
hat is the importance of the passage from the point of view of the characters'
hat is the importance of the passage from the point of view of the plot' (e.g. in a play,
is it part of the exposition, development or dEnouement' *s the audience aware of facts
which the characters are not aware of' *f so, what is the effect of this irony')
hat other lin.s does the passage have with the rest of the boo.' e.g. is it part of a
pattern or a recurring theme' ,oes it reflect author<s=century<s view of life'
(b) Style
General ood or !oneD
descriptive, emotional, reflective, dramatic, comic, tragic, satirical' hat is our attention
focused on'
"mageryD
hat .ind of images' (simile, metaphor, symbol, personification...). *s there a chain of
imagery' *s the imagery effective' hy' ,oes it help you to feel=visualise a problem or
situation' hat is the purpose of the imagery used' *s it for pictures-ue effect' To ma.e
the meaning clearer' To evo.e a feeling'
#ocabularyD
2oncrete, abstract, simple, technical, pedantic, idiomatic or <noble<, precious, heroic,
allusive or direct, chosen for sound...
Stylistic devicesD
Ambiguity, paradox, repetition, accumulation, antithesis, contrast, rhetorical -uestion,
exclamation, apostrophe, irony, satire, puns, inversionF effect of omission of certain
grammatical forms, e.g. articles, use of first, third person, etc.
#ersification and musicalityD
0hythmD length and regularity of lines (i.e. is rhythm bro.en, smooth, rapid, slow, what
mood does it convey'). 0hymeF also internal rhyme, assonance, alliteration. hat effects
created by repetition of certain sounds'
$. Concluion
(a) hat can now be said about the passage that was not obvious at the outset'
(b) hat is the general importance of the passage for wor. or author, predominant tone or
atmosphere'
(b) *n what ways is it typical of wor. or author, and period'