LESSON PLAN
Close Reading: Early Modern
by Lindsay Price
In this lesson, we will close read sections of an early modern text: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. This play fits the criteria well for a close read text: Lots of details both in story and character, lots of structural “hows” to analyze, and Oscar Wilde makes a lot of statements with this play about Victorian England, about how people behave, about marriage, and about being truthful (earnest).
Students will approach the text through a variety of exercises, from close reading the title, to single sentences, to a small section, to a culminating assignment.
