Chapter II · The Implements: Close reading — The yu storage cabinet is made of wood, woven of…
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
The passage
“The yu storage cabinet is made of wood, woven of bamboo, and pasted with paper. It has a shelf inside, a cover above, a base below, and a door at the side, with one panel shut. Within is placed a vessel holding smoldering charcoal, kept gently warm. During the plum rains of Jiangnan, it is fired to drive off dampness.”
Close reading
In Chapter II · The Implements, this passage works as a definition rather than a decoration. It sets the terms that the rest of the chapter will use.
The key phrase is “The yu storage cabinet is made of wood, woven of…”. Read it slowly: what is being described, what is being judged, and what is being left out?
A close reading asks not only what the sentence says, but what it assumes about tea, tools, and the person drinking it.
Reading note
Read the passage once for the image, once for the judgment, and once for the practice it implies.
Practice
- Name one thing the passage asks you to notice.
- Compare it with a tea you know.
- Keep the question open.