explication de texte

American

[ek-splee-kah-syawn duh tekst] / ɛk spli kɑ syɔ̃ də ˈtɛkst /

noun

French.

an approach to literary criticism involving close examination, analysis, and exposition of the text of a work, and concentrating on language, style, content, and the interrelationships of the parts to the whole in regard to meaning and symbolism.

explication de texte British

/ ɛksplikɑsjɔ̃ də tɛkst /

noun

a close textual analysis of a literary work

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of explication de texte

Literally, “explanation of text”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Suddenly, we’re all obsessed with explication de texte.

From Washington Post • Dec. 12, 2019

Columnist William F. Buckley Jr., while concurring in Agnew's description of an "effete corps of impudent snobs," felt impelled to deliver an explication de texte: "The rhetorical arrangement is extremely unsatisfactory," wrote Buckley.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023