A Grainy Read: Closely Reading With and Against the Grain

In a recent episode of the podcast, Paige and I discussed close reading skills. We talked about the questions we use to prompt our students, the class activities we incorporate, and the mini assignments we’ve developed.

Well, there were two important elements I did not mention: the two types of reading.

During the first week of the semester, I explain to my students that there are two types of reading; there is reading with the grain and reading against the grain. That is, there is reading to understand the intended meaning of the text and reading to discover the unintended meanings.

Let me explain what I mean using the finale of the hit 90s sitcom Friends. If we read the episode with the grain, we receive a happy ending. The show concludes the story of a young woman, Rachel Green, who narrowly dodged an unhappy marriage. After ending her relationship with this bore and boor of a man, Rachel starts exploring personal relationships not dependent on material wealth. She reunites with her almost high school sweetheart, Ross Gellar, and begins a turbulent on-and-off relationship and she tries to discover what sort of romantic relationship she truly wants. In the series finale, she debates leaving for Paris with their child, abandoning their romantic relationship to pursue a professional opportunity which will allow her to reset her personal life. In a surprise twist every viewer saw coming, Rachel gets off the plane as she finally recognizes her relationship with Ross as true and everlasting love. It’s a story of love, loyalty, and personal relationships.

When we read with the grain, we are reading for structure and technique. We help our students see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together. We analyze the techniques the composer used to craft their narrative. We look for symbols, foreshadowing, characterization, word choice, pacing, structure, and so on. We ask whether these strategies and how the composer’s tools emphasize their intended meaning.

But what happens if we read against the grain?

When we read against the grain, we see this as a story of a woman, Rachel, who realizes she has used romantic relationships as a surrogate for a personal identity. She embarks on a journey of self-discovery to find out who she is and what she wants out of life. Along this journey, she continues an on-again-off-again relationship with Ross who consistently questions her career, values, and choices. Ross asks her time and time again to sacrifice her professional and personal development for the sake of their relationship, putting her back into the position of using a romantic relationship as her primary identity marker. In the series finale, she debates leaving for Paris with their child to finally establish herself as an independent woman with a fulfilling career. At the last minute, however, she doubts her decision and gets off the plane, abandoning her self-actualization in favor of a relationship with a man who does not believe in her. Rachel ends her story where she begins it: in a relationship with a boor of a man who demands her devotion even at the cost of her own fulfillment. It’s a story of failed promise, lost potential, and self-doubt. It highlights the contemporary narratives women received about work-life balances, the significance of romantic relationships, and their potential in the workplace. It also reveals significant tensions surrounding gender and sexuality. It provides us with a window to understand societal pressures and shifts--even if it takes away the thrill of romance.

When we read against the grain, we are reading to explore contemporary contexts and cultural evolutions. We look for the blind spots of the narrative and the composer. We identify moments of discomfort and tension, and we wonder why they provoke those emotions. We consider references, allusions, subtext, and double meanings. We connect narrative moments to critical texts we’ve previously read. We ask how the text mirrors society and how society mirrors the text.

When we teach our students to closely read, we need to teach them to read what is on the page and what remains off page. By encouraging them to read with the grain and against the grain, we help them develop the critical thinking skills necessary to engage a text, to analyze a work, and to construct their own perspective.

To develop this skill set, consider incorporating a with/against grain prompt into your classes. To kickstart your students’ close reading skills, turn to fairy tales. Most of your students will be familiar with the stories of Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood. select a familiar version of the tale and ask your students to read with the grain. How are the protagonist and antagonist characterized? How is the tale structured? What is the overall meaning of the tale? Then ask your students to read against the grain. Likely, they have already done this at some point in their lives by looking at the sexism or secret meanings of fairy tales. Prompt them to consider the double, triple, quadruple meaning of symbols like Snow White’s apple, the witch’s delicious home, or Little Red’s riding hood. Help them reflect on the historical context of the tale and its potential influence. Ask them to consider the unintentional meanings and morals of the tale.

Once your students are more comfortable, you can move on to “grain reading” your course texts. Select a passage or scene from the work and ask your students to read with the grain. Have them identify key techniques used in the passage and their likely effect on the narrative and on the audience. Write their answers down on the board. Then ask your students to read against the grain. Which tools they already identified could have double or triple meanings? What does the scene reference or allude to? What moments are uncomfortable and why? What does the scene overlook or ignore? What are the values--explicit and implicit--of the scene? Stress to your students that grain reading requires reading a text at least twice. Close reading requires multiple reads, but you can still practice together!

And maybe that’s the ultimate key to developing our students’ close reading skills: practicing together. Our students already know how to read, but they learned over years of practice. Learning to closely read and critically read can take years of practice as well, and that’s okay! Try to include close reading activities throughout your semester to build and practice your students skills.

How do you incorporate “against the grain” readings? What sort of assignments and activities have worked well for you? We’d love to hear from you! Share your experiences and questions in the comments!