Textual

Adjective describing anything related to or consisting of written texts. It often pertains to the interpretation, analysis, or physical form of textual materials, including literature, documents, and other written formats. The term is commonly used in literary studies to emphasize the importance of the actual words and their arrangement in a text over extratextual factors.

Textual meaning with examples

• The professor emphasized the importance of textual analysis in understanding Shakespeare's plays, which encourages students to dissect language, structure, and meaning directly from the text without relying on outside interpretations.
• In our book club, we focused on the textual elements of the novel, examining how the author’s choice of words and sentence structure influenced the overall emotional impact and themes throughout the story.
• The historian conducted a textual study of ancient manuscripts, carefully analyzing the language and style to gain insights into the culture and social norms of the time when the documents were created.
• For her thesis, she took a textual approach to feminist literature, highlighting how the specific wording and themes in texts from various eras reflect the changing roles and perceptions of women in society.
• The conference on digital humanities included sessions on textual preservation, discussing how technology can aid in preserving historical texts while maintaining the integrity of the original written works.