/ek splee kah syawonn deuh tekst"/ , pl. explications de texte /ek splee kah syawonn deuh tekst"/ . French.
an approach to literary criticism involving close examination, analysis, and exposition of the text of a work, and concentrating on language, style, content, and the interrelationships of the parts to the whole in regard to meaning and symbolism.
[ lit., explanation of text ]