Every author who sits down to write something – be it a work of non-fiction, a poem, or a work of fiction – has a reason for doing so. They have information they want to convey to you, or a story they want to tell. Sometimes the author's true purpose is obscured within the writing itself. For example, fiction writers may use an allegory or satire to make a political point or say something about society. Understanding who the author was and the time period when they were writing can help you better analyze the text and place it in context with other works.  The author's background can be important in evaluating your own reaction to the work. For example, historical attitudes about gender, sexuality, and religion may seem strange or even offensive to modern-day readers. As part of your research into the author's background, you should also try to find out what other authors they were associated with. You may want to read some of the work of those other authors to better understand how your author's style developed and evolved. Different pieces of writing often borrow ideas, images, and themes from other works that came before. If you're reading something written more recently, you may find connections to films or television shows as well.  Think about the purpose behind those connections. Consider whether the connection was intentionally made by the author, or was just circumstantial. Sometimes authors connect to pre-existing works as a short-cut to build a particular mood or image in the reader's mind. For example, if you're reading a short story about a mad scientist who is designing a theme park, one of the characters might mention Jurassic Park. Assuming you're familiar with Jurassic Park, you already have a fully formed image in your head that the author didn't have to create from scratch. A text that is a candidate for close reading typically is one that speaks to a particular aspect of existence and of the human condition. After you've gone deep into the text itself, bring it back out into the world and think about what it contributes to human understanding.  Ask yourself what the text as a whole causes you to think or wonder about. In some cases, it may be that after reading the text you're left with more questions than you have answers. If you're tasked with writing an essay or other paper on the text, this sort of big-picture thinking can help you find the theme for your paper.
Determine the author's purpose. Research the author's background. Look for connections to other things you've read. Relate the text to larger philosophical questions.