External:
* Focuses on the text's context: This includes things outside the text itself, like the author's background, the historical period in which it was written, social and cultural influences, and the intended audience.
* Looks at the text's impact on the world: This could be its influence on other texts, its role in social movements, or its reception by readers.
* Examples:
* Analyzing the historical context of Shakespeare's plays to understand their meaning.
* Examining the impact of a poem on the Civil Rights Movement.
* Looking at reviews of a novel to see how readers responded to it.
Internal:
* Focuses on the text's own elements: This includes the plot, characters, setting, themes, tone, language, and literary devices used within the text.
* Analyzes the text's internal relationships: This means looking at how the different elements work together to create meaning and effect.
* Examples:
* Identifying the main conflict in a short story.
* Analyzing the symbolism of a character's actions in a play.
* Examining the use of imagery and metaphors in a poem.
Here's a simple way to think about it:
* External: What's happening *around* the text.
* Internal: What's happening *within* the text.
It's important to note that:
* Both internal and external analysis are valuable tools for understanding and appreciating literature.
* They often work together, with an understanding of external context enriching the internal analysis.
* There's no one "right" way to analyze a text; different readers may focus on different aspects.
Let me know if you'd like more examples or have any specific questions about external or internal analysis!