Chapter VII · The History: Close reading — In the Jin, Lu Na, governor of Wuxing, when Xie…
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The passage
“In the Jin, Lu Na, governor of Wuxing, when Xie An came to call, set out only tea and fruit.”
Close reading
In Chapter VII · The History, 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 “In the Jin, Lu Na, governor of Wuxing, when Xie…”. 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.