The Ethics of Close Reading?
The practice known as close reading has been for decades one of the central methodological commitments of literary studies. Consolidated, articulated, and promulgated as part of the professionalization of the field during the New Critical era, close reading survived the theory wars (gaining traction, even, thanks to deconstruction). It continues to be a major focus of teaching at the college and K-12 levels (where, since 2009, it has been an explicit part of the Common Core standards).