Learning to Unlock Texts: Using context clues

We're nearing the end of this textual analysis series! If you want to catch up on previous posts, part 1 and part 2 from the end of last year set the scene, or you could check out the previous analytical methods we've looked at, close reading and comparing and contrasting.

The final analytical method we’ll be looking at in this series is viewing the text through the context surrounding it. Because nothing is written in a vacuum, we can learn a lot about a text and its creator by examining what the text is responding to—not just other texts, but also the social and cultural ideas and movements that were in the forefront at the time and the beliefs and experiences of the author. Drawing upon the context of the piece you’re analysing is the key to understanding why it is the way it is, as well as being the best way to clear up aspects that may not be as clear in our own time and society as they would have been when and where the text was first written.

This sort of analysis is not likely to be found in exams, but it’s essential for essays, where you would be expected to have time to research. Unlike close reading or comparing and contrasting, digging up contextual information requires the use of secondary sources and supplementary resources to form your conclusions and back up your arguments. If you already have a fairly comprehensive knowledge of the author and their social, cultural, and historical context you may be able to form some arguments without extra research, but for an in-depth analysis you will almost certainly need to do some reading so you can strengthen those arguments and cite the sources that back you up. (If you’re writing academically, it is expected that you’ll be making heavy use of both primary and secondary sources for all of your claims.)