Explication is a close, detailed reading of a poem that explains how its words, images, sound, structure, and figurative language work together to create meaning. It goes beyond summary by showing how specific parts of the poem shape the reader's understanding and emotional response.
Example
A careful explication of the sonnet might note how the repeated hard consonants in the first quatrain create tension, while the final couplet shifts to a calmer tone and resolves the speaker's conflict.
Related Definitions
[n] a detailed explanation of the meaning of something
[n] the act of making clear or removing obscurity from the meaning of a word or symbol or expression etc.