Annotating a literary work

Annotating the work is a way to focus your reading. The first time through, you may want to pencil a check mark next to passages you find especially significant. On a more careful rereading, pay particular attention to these passages and jot down your ideas and reactions in the margins of the page.

Here is one student’s annotation of a poem by Shakespeare.

Annotated poem

Related topics:

Annotating written works

Annotating visual texts

Taking notes

Discussing the text

Drafting an interpretive thesis

Outlining an interpretive paper