a brief guide to annotating texts

1. ANNOTATION

2. I think the basics of annotation
(which really amounts to on-the-
spot analytical interpretation)
are pretty straightforward, but
each person will develop his
own distinctive system reflecting
the unique structure of his
thinking.

3. It really begins with critical
reading.

4. You want to have a clear idea of
what to look for before you read,
and while you are reading, you
simply mark the passages where
you find details that relate to the
elements you are exploring.

5. The essential elements of a
narrative are
• plot
• setting
• narrative perspective, and
• character.

6. The essential element of
description is imagery.

7. The elements of poetry include
qualities of form like
• syllabic pattern,
• rhyme, meter, and
• the use of conventional forms.

8. We also want to identify
any characteristics of the
genre (like epic or
romance).

9. So before you begin, you will need to
know what each of these terms
means and how to identify them in
context. That’s where the study and
interpretation guides come into play,
by defining the key terms and
indicating the kinds of questions you
will ask for the literary works we
read.

10. Then look at the course outcomes
and see what we will be doing at
the course level with the literary
works (like understanding the
cultural or personal values
reflected in them, or their
historical, cultural, social, or
political contexts).

11. Once you have that list of things
to look for and questions to
answer, you proceed through a
first reading with a pencil in your
hand, noting details and concepts
that develop or relate to them, like
the following:

12. • places where new
characters are
introduced

13. • descriptions of characters
or places

14. • any relationships that
characters may have with
each other (or with others
outside the work—like a
famous person or a
relative)

15. • places where one plot
incident ends and
another begins

16. • passages where
speeches are made or
rituals performed

17. • elements of narrative
perspective (person,
omniscience, subjectivity, etc)
and any observations that may
reflect the narrator’s values or
attitudes towards the
characters, situations, or
incidents he is relating

18. · places where new characters are introduced
· descriptions of characters or places
· any relationships that characters may have with each other
(or with others outside the work—like a famous person
or a relative)
· places where one plot incident ends and another begins
· passages where speeches are made or rituals performed
· elements of narrative perspective (person, omniscience,
subjectivity, etc) and any observations that may reflect
the narrator’s values or attitudes towards the characters,
situations, or incidents he is relating
To recap:

19. You get the idea.

20. The actual list will be longer
than this, so it’s a daunting
task at first; it seems like an
inordinate amount of work,
and you won’t catch
everything you’re looking for,
but the mind is amazing, and
as you practice, you develop
your own system and style.

21. Soon it will be automatic—the
intellectual equivalent of the
muscle memory a martial artist
develops when executing forms,
or a basketball player’s free
throw motions—and you will
have a powerful skill to carry
over into any endeavor involving
mastery of complex texts.