Intensive Close Reading of Dillard’s “Death of a Moth”
Do not answer these; they aren’t questions, but recommendations for completing a thorough, intensive reading.
Remember throughout that you will soon be writing in this same mode: narrative and personal.
You should follow up on any surprising or confusing diction in the piece, as always. But it’s critical that you understand
Rimbaud; Dillard is profoundly influenced by him.
1. Take note of Dillard’s intricate sentences. They can be classified and noted in the way we have prepared to do, as
series, parallels, loose or period, etc. and you should consider the most obvious examples in these ways. But note also how
the parts of these sentences relate to the author’s purpose. I’ll give you one example and expect you to note and explore
others in the same way.
“I live on northern Puget Sound, in Washington State, alone.”
Three parts of this loose sentence modify “live.” The three parts have been placed in a surprising order. What is the
effect of the order on the reader? How might this sentence be reordered? Can you suppose the writer’s process in arriving at
this choice? It’s the first sentence so we must assume that it is even more carefully crafted than usual (which, for Dillard, is
very, very carefully crafted.)
2. Pay attention to the typographical structure of the essay. These choices play an important role in the experience of the
reader. Note and explore all choices made by the writer. Be observant.
3. This is a narrative essay, a story that does more than tell a story. Identify sentences that do, and do not, not propel the
narrative forward. Consider the separate purposes of these sentences. Do “propelling” sentences also do other things, or is
their purpose simply to advance the narrative? How would you answer this claim: there are no sentences that do not
advance the narrative.
4. Scheme out the time order of the events described here. Identify and consider whether—and how—Dillard has left the
timeline ambiguous or even unexplained.
5. Find a place where you think Dillard has left superfluous or wasted words in her writing.
6. Dillard’s attitude toward animals and insects is critical to any accurate assessment of her tone. Do not allow your own
attitude to influence the way you read this essay.
Intensive Close Reading of Dillard’s “Death of a Moth”
Do not answer these; they aren’t questions, but recommendations for completing a thorough, intensive reading.
Remember throughout that you will soon be writing in this same mode: narrative and personal.
You should follow up on any surprising or confusing diction in the piece, as always. But it’s critical that you understand
Rimbaud; Dillard is profoundly influenced by him.
1. Take note of Dillard’s intricate sentences. They can be classified and noted in the way we have prepared to do, as
series, parallels, loose or period, etc. and you should consider the most obvious examples in these ways. But note also how
the parts of these sentences relate to the author’s purpose. I’ll give you one example and expect you to note and explore
others in the same way.
“I live on northern Puget Sound, in Washington State, alone.”
Three parts of this loose sentence modify “live.” The three parts have been placed in a surprising order. What is the
effect of the order on the reader? How might this sentence be reordered? Can you suppose the writer’s process in arriving at
this choice? It’s the first sentence so we must assume that it is even more carefully crafted than usual (which, for Dillard, is
very, very carefully crafted.)
2. Pay attention to the typographical structure of the essay. These choices play an important role in the experience of the
reader. Note and explore all choices made by the writer. Be observant.
3. This is a narrative essay, a story that does more than tell a story. Identify sentences that do, and do not, not propel the
narrative forward. Consider the separate purposes of these sentences. Do “propelling” sentences also do other things, or is
their purpose simply to advance the narrative? How would you answer this claim: there are no sentences that do not
advance the narrative.
4. Scheme out the time order of the events described here. Identify and consider whether—and how—Dillard has left the
timeline ambiguous or even unexplained.
5. Find a place where you think Dillard has left superfluous or wasted words in her writing.
6. Dillard’s attitude toward animals and insects is critical to any accurate assessment of her tone. Do not allow your own
attitude to influence the way you read this essay.