(1) engages the text itself in detailed analysis, (2) examines the ways the text converses with other “texts” in its environment, (3) investigates the world that produced the text, and (4) analyzes how the text affects that same world. The image Robbins uses for the ancient texts is that of a tapestry—many threads are interwoven together in a text to produce multiple textures that together provide us with a rich, three-dimensional understanding of the meaning and impact of the text we are studying.
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