Reader Response Theory Reader-response theory identifies the reader as an affective agent who imparts real exist-ence and life to the work, completing its meaning through interpretation. Reader- response criti-cism argues that literature should be viewed as art in which each reader creates his or her own-most likely unique, text-related performance. I am using Wolfgang Iser and Stanley Fish’s takes on Reader Response for my study. Iser’s Theory of Reception and Transactional Reader Response Theory
Fish’s Reader Response Criticism is composed of two interdependent ideas: first, that the meaning of texts is shaped by the reading experience itself, and second, that these meanings cannot be judged to be correct or incorrect, but merely belonging to one “interpretive community” or another. The first idea may be identified as the executive aspect of Reader Response Criticism because it analyzes the act of reading, while the second idea is the epistemological aspect of the theory because it circumscribes
Chapter II Literature Review Reader Response Criticism Literary criticism is an activity of natural human response to the literature. Endraswara (2003, p.116) said that literary work is a phenomenon which is concrete by the reader. The statement is in accordance with the theory of reader response which focuses on the activity of the readers rather than the author or the structure of the text itself. Reader response focuses on the reader and their role in the making of a literary work. The text does
Reader Response Theory The Reader Response Theory emerged as a reaction against the New Criticism or formalistic approach, which focused on the text, finding all the meaning, the value in it and regarding everything else as extraneous, including readers. Despite the ideas of the Reader Response in the 1920’s, the late Louise Rosenblatt pioneered the Reader Response theory. She was a literary theorist and an English Educator. In her writing, Literature as Exploration written in 1938, she emphasizes
Reader Response to Joyce's The Dead James Joyce's story "The Dead" has a tremendous impact on the readers, especially those who are familiar with the political situation in Ireland at the time about which the Joyce wrote the final story in Dubliners. In exploring the meaning of James Joyce's long short-story, "The Dead", there are many critical approaches to take. Each approach gives readers a lens, a set of guidelines through which to examine and express ideas
Reader-Response on Soldier's Home The initial reaction I received from reading Soldier's Home, and my feelings about Soldier's Home now are not the same. Initially, I thought Harold Krebs is this soldier who fought for two years, returns home, and is disconnected from society because he is in a childlike state of mind, while everyone else has grown up. I felt that Krebs lost his immature years, late teens to early 20's, because he went from college to the military. I still see him as disconnected
Position Paper: Reader-response I read a book the other day. It was a wonderful book called The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I really enjoyed it; it gives the background information on the creation of Middle Earth. In it, Tolkien tells us of Illúvatar, Eä, the Valar and the birth of Elves, Dwarves and Men. But, you know, I don’t think it has anything at all to do with Elves, Dwarves, Men and some god named Illúvatar. I think Tolkien really wanted to write a Biblical
“Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, readers observe how Robert, a blind guy, alters the narrator’s world view and the respective marked alterations that take place in narrator’s life. The writer of this article explains about this shift of point of view and the enormous change that takes place in the narrator’s life, when he changes from a person who only looks to a man who sees. The explanation is given through the lenses of reader response criticism using subjective reader-response theory represented by David
Reader Response Criticism to Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider) In The Stranger (The Outsider), Albert Camus anticipates an active reader that will react to his text. He wants the reader to form a changing, dynamic opinion of Meursault. The reader can create a consciousness for Meursault from the facts that Meursault reports. By using vague and ambiguous language, Camus stimulates the reader to explore all possibilities of meaning. Camus also intends to shock the reader into rereading
Reader Response Criticism to God's Determinations For the reader demanding either rational sense or aesthetic pleasure from poetry, reading the preface to Edward Taylor's "God's Determinations" is humbling in ways unintended by the 17th century Puritan minister and poet. "Rationality" per se seems rejected at the start, where we are asked first to comprehend "Infinity," and then to envision it (everything) "beholding" "all things"(also everything). "Things" get no clearer as we progress
iteral questions have responses that are directly stated in the text. The reader is able to simply locate the information and copy, paraphrase or summarize. (summarize, count, name, list, copy, record, retell). Ex. questions: Who are the characters in the story? What is the name of the villian? Who is the main character? Where did they go on their vacation? What does Batman say to the Joker in Chapter 1? What happens in this chapter? Inferential questions have responses that are indirectly stated
Reader Response Journal #1 Chapters 1-3, pages 1-24 “But we reservation Indians don't get to realize our dreams. We don't get these chances. Or choices. We're just poor. That's all we are.” (Pg.13) I think that thE author is trying to show that by growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Junior has developed an idea in his head that he can't be anything other than poor. He realizes that his parents had dreams to be something “other than poor” but there was never anyone to pay attention to
Reader Response #2: The Lottery “The Lottery” is a short story written by Shirley Jackson and published in 1948. The title of the story initially leads readers to believe the story is going to be about someone winning some kind of prize. Even the opening of the story seems to protest any foul play or cruel behavior. What the reader is introduced to is a seemingly friendly gathering of a small village community, members all gathered around anxiously awaiting their drawing for the lottery. The village
critiqued in order to recognize if the poem being read is something that has been well written or something just thrown together without much thought. The main argument that will be used in favor of a well written poem will be the emotional response the reader gets. This is a totally acceptable reason for liking a poem and one that I find important, but it is a reasoning that is hard to quantify or even explain except for the person who has experienced it. Even if this is their only way to explain
Megan Madrigrano Mr. Weber British Literature 13th August, 2015 Reader Response: The Hobbit Settings: Generally, The Hobbit takes place in many different places as listed and described below but the time period is considered to be set in the years of 2941 and 2942 of the Third Age (before the Lord of the Rings) The Hill: More commonly referred to as “Bag End”, The Hill was a smial where the Baggins family and later the Gardner family resided. A smial is described as the Hobbit’s style of dwelling
The poem begins with a discussion about Shield Sheafson , who was the king of the Thanes. He was a baby whose parents abandoned him and rose to the top. After Sheafson died, his son Beow became king in his place. Once he died, Hrothgar became the ruler of the Thanes. Hrothgar brought fortune and success to the Thanes and in celebration of it he built a hall called Hereot, where he and his men gathered for festivities. For a good amount of time the Danes enjoyed peace until one Grendel, who was descendant
I could not imagine how Tim O’Brien, and the hundreds of thousands of people felt when they received their draft notices. All I can do is imagine the initial panic and disbelief. I don’t believe that I would respond calmly and just accept the fact that the military basically owned me for the duration of the Vietnam War. But I don’t know if I would have the “courage” that Tim O’Brien talks about in The Things They Carried to dodge the draft and flee to Canada. The only thing I can compare this to
Into the Wild Reader Response Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, is a memoir about how living in the wilderness and how Chris McCandless lived nearly two years in the wild. Throughout the novel, Krakauer relates Chris’ adventures to his own experience in mountain climbing and living on his own. This is not your typical memoir where the author tells a story about their lives. Jon Krakauer is not the main character; however he tells a story of this boy who leaves his well-developed family for
Ramayana Reader Response In the Ramayana by Valmiki, Dasharatha is the King of Ayodhya and has three wives and four sons, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Rama is the ideal and perfect son, and grows up with his brothers. He marries a woman name Sita. However, Bharata's mother is Kaikeyi, who resents Rama being crown king. She calls up a debt that Dasharatha owes her and asks for Rama to be exiled for fourteen years and her son Bharata be made crown prince instead. The devastated Dasharatha
A Rose for Emily Reader Response Essay All men and women are created equal and deserve fair treatment from the opposite sex. However, since the beginning of history, sexual equality has not been a virtue that was closely followed. Men tend to falsely assume that since they are physically more capable than women, they are inherently also more important. Obviously that is not the case and this sexism tends to create a powerful barrier between males and females. Thankfully, modern day culture has