Reader Response Theory By Louise Rosenblatt
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 that the readers play an important role in the life of any piece of literature. According to Rosenblatt, "A novel or a poem or a play remains merely ink spot on a paper until a reader transform them into a set of meaningful symbols" (1985, 25). It is through the work of...show more content...
It allows for inferences and insights by the reader
This means that when a reader reads any literary text it is the belief that it allows the individual to construct his/her own meaning. Once the reader is able to interact with the text, he/she is able to explore and interpret it in a way in which his or her cultural backgrounds is understood and that of others. Within a literary text, the reader is able to understand why specific cultures do certain practices and how it places value on society. Furthermore, it is through a text that individuals gain insight on what is morally acceptable to society and can be able to link it through their experiences whether in their school environment and the community. This insight may be gain not just by reading one book but through various literary text in which they are able to apply their critically thinking skills and construct their own understanding whether it may be through poem or story. However, not all similar books will be written the same way, for example, Cinderella. There are many Cinderella books written with countless interpretation; however, readers can be able to read all and find similarities such as it is wrong to treat people cruel or that the stepmother is cruel. Despite that, a reader may have a stepmother who is a wonderful person yet he or she can analyze and understand that not all stepmothers are cruel or not everyone will treat a person wrongfully. In essence, the readers are able to become critical thinkers through the assimilation of a literary
Reader Response : ' The Hobbit '
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, holes in the hillside, during the late Third Age while most other Hobbit–holes had been replaced by buildings made of wood or brick. In the beginning of the novel, the reader is entered into Bag End with descriptions surrounding them such as "a perfectly round door like a porthole...with a shiny yellow brass knob" (Tolkien, 3) and "panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted" (Tolkien, 3).
Lone–Lands: The Lone–Lands was a name used by the Hobbits to describe an area of wilderness east of the land of Bree. The Lands held the Weather Hills and Weathertop, once seen as a vision of vigilance and now seen as a realm of desolation and defeat. By the end the of Third Age, the Lands were bare of all inhabitants.
Rivendell: Rivendell holds the "Last Homely House" protected by the great lord Elrond. Rivendell is a secluded valley heavily occupied with elves filled with song and laughter. Though, Rivendell is good–natured, it is still obscured by the Misty Mountains.
Misty Mountains:
George Orwell 1984 Reader Response
Reader Response Analysis In the book 1984 written by George Orwell, the author wanted the readers to understand the message he has created. The message that he has conveyed throughout the book was that the Party took away many of the individual's rights and freedoms. Orwell has shown specific examples of how the peoples' rights are taken away throughout the text. Some of these examples include the people do not have their own privacy in the homes, control over their own thoughts, as well as control over emotions. Orwell may have given these examples for the readers to be able to relate to the government today. Today the government uses security cameras as well as they have ability to check phone records. In 1984, George Orwell has created...show more content...
Julia, the girl Winston likes, is then brought into this scene. They look around the apartment and notice that there are no telescreens in this room. He finds it remarkable, this could be a place to go to get away from the telescreens (Orwell 99). From my perspective, the author did this to show that Winston was willing to go to such extreme measures to get away from the Party. Purchasing the journal and coral was dangerous enough if caught by the Party, yet he still considered the upstairs apartment. Since Winston grew up in the Party all he knew was what life was like in it. He tried to get away from the Party, by living in this apartment to see what life was like without your every move being watched. In my opinion, Orwell may have included Julia in this scene's description so that the readers will understand how he felt towards her. This then reflected on his decisions he made later in the book. Winston and Julia look at the apartment together because relationships are forbidden within the Party. Next the author chose to explain how the government can take control over peoples' thoughts. Since they always watched everyone, the Party can have an opinion on what they think of your thoughts and actions. If they do not like what you decide they can punish you. For example, in 1984, Winston starts to fall in love with a girl named Julia. Although in the Party relationships are strictly for having children. In the Party you are not supposed to
Fish Reader Response Criticism
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 the knowledge we can acquire about a text to the merely relative. Studied independently, each aspect of Reader Response Theory offers by itself strong arguments countervailing the formalist stance of the New Critics. But as we will see,...show more content...
This excerpt begins at the level of innate human concepts (flesh) and proceeds through the more concrete level of medical terminology (muscles, blood, epidermis) and onwards through an evocative metaphor (red cloud). Before the reader reaches the final clause ("whose soul is lightning"), he has built up an expectation that a culminating trope will be used to close the sentence, as is usual. Instead, the fragment ends with "whose soul is lightning" which refers not to the red cloud, but to "the flesh itself." In other words, the red cloud is not the object of the concluding clause, but a "psychological multiplier:" the reader sees a red cloud (associated with storms) and then sees lightning exacerbated by the immediately preceding image. Now the reader possesses a clear mental picture of the passionate flesh, but the strange syntax (both in French and English) leaves him uncertain about what exactly the text has said: is lightning the soul of the flesh? Is the soul the lightning emitted by the flesh? This is an important point–is the soul passion? Or is passion simply one of several manifestations of the soul? Yourcenar has deliberately shrouded this discussion in complex syntax because the distinction itself confounds us. If you are lost as to what exactly the text says right now, Yourcenar has achieved her aim. Now take a look at Grace Frick's artful translation of the same text:
The flesh itself, that amazing instrument of muscles, blood, and skin, that
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 that the readers play an important role in the life of any piece of literature. According to Rosenblatt, "A novel or a poem or a play remains merely ink spot on a paper until a reader transform them into a set of meaningful symbols" (1985, 25)....show more content...
It allows for inferences and insights by the reader
This means that when a reader reads some literary texts it is the belief that it allows the individual to construct his/her own meaning. Once the reader is able to interact with the text, he/she is able to explore and interpret it in a way in which his or her cultural backgrounds is understood and that of others. Within a literary text, the reader is able to understand why specific cultures do certain practices and how it places value on society. Furthermore, it is through a text that individuals gain insight on what is morally acceptable to society and can be able to link it through their experiences whether in their school environment and the community. This insight may be gained not just by reading one book, but through various literary text in which they are able to apply their critical thinking skills and construct their own understanding whether it may be through a poem or story. However, not all similar books will be written the same way, for example, Cinderella. There are many Cinderella books written with countless interpretation; however, readers can be able to read all and find similarities such as it is wrong to treat people cruel or that the stepmother is cruel. Despite that, a reader may have a stepmother who is a wonderful person yet he or she can analyze and understand that not all stepmothers are cruel or not everyone will treat a person wrongfully. In essence, the readers are able to become critical thinkers through the assimilation of a literary
Reading Response Examples
The reading wasn't hard to understand. One thing that I really liked about the reading was how it would give you examples that would help you comprehend the reading. A clear example in the reading has to be the one about Nick. He upgraded from his old Honda Civic to a Mercedes. He justified his new purchased saying that it was safer and that he deserved it. Going in to read the reading I didn't think that it would be as engrossing, but I was proved wrong. The reading overall is really interesting and greatly detailed. I learned several things dealing with cognitive dissonance. I was staggered by the extent to which we justify our decisions and confront our own mistakes. I don't really recognize when I justify my decisions, but now that I think...show more content...
As children, we are afraid of being screamed at or punished in a way. Often times in elementary school, I would pass volunteering in class, afraid that I would give the wrong answer and that I would get screamed at. It does not only have to be at school, but even in our own homes. Children are scared of doing something wrong because they think that they will be put on timeout or another type of punishment. Out of all life stages, I believe that we are most afraid of making mistakes when we are children. Another important reason of why we are so afraid of making mistakes is pride. I feel like pride is more present in adults other than children. Adults are often scared of making a mistake and hurting their pride. We are all so afraid of making mistakes in one way or another. We shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes because they help us grow as a person. How would we learn from our mistakes if we are so afraid of making them? It's simple, we wouldn't. I think that this fear is not something that we all of a sudden get, but something that we grow up with and we can't avoid it, whether we want it or not. We can do various things to overcome this fear. One way is to try to accept that we can't avoid making mistakes. Elementaries can give their students a lecture over making mistakes and how it's not something that we should be afraid of. If we are told as children that we should not be so afraid of making mistakes we can decrease this
Examples Of Response To Literature
Unit 1 – 5 Paragraph Jane Schaffer Essay Outline Response to Literature What I think of the novels is sad because they have a hard life and some died. In the novel of the Pearl by John Steinbeck and The Treasure of Lemon Brown by Walter Dean Myers, both books are sad. The Pearl is about a man and a wife who are trying to get wealth but something bad comes in there way. The Treasure of Lemon Brown is about a kid which learns what life is. The thesis is that you should never mess with fate. In the beginning of The pearl Kino life it starts changing when he met the scorpion trying to find a cure for Coyotito. "He threw it down and beat th
Rose for Emily Reader Response
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 vastly diminished the discrimination of women while resorting to more politically correct viewpoints. Though in the early 1900s when "A Rose for Emily" was set, the Deep South still considered women as major inferiorities to men, which is made...show more content...
When discussing Colonel Sartoris' invention of an involved and skeptical tale about why Emily had her taxes remitted, it is stated, "Only a man of Colonel Sartoris' generation and thought could have invented it, and only a woman could have believed it" (Faulkner, 217). Once again, instead of possibly just hinting at the idea that women have a weak and feeble mind, the narrator just comes straight out and makes his opinion seem like truth. The narrator was so ignorant and naïve that he presented his idea that the invented story was ridiculous, to the extent that only a woman could believe it. I have never heard something so absurd and wonder how a woman could be conceived as such an incompetent fool. In retrospect, I did not live in this time period and it is a fact that women in the early twentieth century attained less schooling than their male counterparts. However, does that give men the right to go about and treat women like incompetent fools? I realize that authors have the freedom to write a story from whatever perspective they wish, no matter how biased or misleading it may be, but I also think people should take away valuable knowledge from the text they are reading. In the case of "A Rose for Emily," I did learn some good morals such as the power of death, but I mostly came away with the idea that I am superior to the women in my life. I am not sure if that is what Faulkner intended, but it is certainly not a
The Kite Runner Reader Response
Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner, has a writing style unique to him in a way that the majority of his sentences are short and non–complex. Although there are numerous words in Farsi, most are explained right away to limit confusion. "'You look khoshteep', Baba said. Handsome" ( Hosseini 166). Hosseini incorporates an abundance of figurative language in his book, an example of this is repetition. The line, "There is a way to be good again" is said several times throughout the book to show its significance in the novel (Hosseini 2). Figurative language is extremely important because it adds a meaning and value that is much stronger than saying it differently.
Hosseini uses many symbols in his novel. One, in particular, shows the loss of friendship between Amir and Hassan, the pomegranate tree. In the beginning, Amir and Hassan would go to the tree to read stories and eat pomegranates. "After school, Hassan and I climbed its branches and snatched its bloodred pomegranates" (Hosseini 27–28). After Hassan had been raped, Amir and Hassan had gone back to the tree but this time the loss of friendship starts to show through. When Amir throws pomegranates at Hassan, it is him trying to get Haasan to punish Amir for what he had done wrong. "'Hit me back!' I spat. 'Hit me back, goddamn you !' I wished he would. I wished he'd give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I'd finally sleep at night" (Hosseini 92). Amir needs the punishment he deserves so badly from the awful things he did and now wants to live up to. Once Amir goes back to visit his home in Kabul, he finds the pomegranate tree that once was a symbol of friendship, and now the loss of just that. "Hassan said in his letter that the pomegranate tree hadn't borne fruit in years. Looking at the wilted, leafless tree, I doubted it ever would again" (Hosseini 264). The pomegranate tree shows how during their friendship, the tree was beautiful and full of life. Now that Amir has betrayed Hassan and left him to be killed, the tree is now lifeless and no fruit to be eaten symbolizing the end of their relationship.
Another symbol that is extremely important is the flying of kites. This is significant because it is
Desiree's Baby Reader Response Essay
Jake Foster
Tantlinger
Ap Lit
Sept.18, 2017
Desiree's Baby Reader Response Societal stigma and Family shape the enigma that is identity. Desiree herself was borne by a family with no prior knowledge of her ancestry, she existed outside of the stigma she would later face. Chopin, describing Armand's love for Desiree, writes "The passion... swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire..." (Chopin). His immediate love for her, though described to be strong, is written with a negative connotation. Chopin uses simile and this negative connotation to immediately put a bad taste in our mouths about the love. Chopin, describing Valmonde's perspective entering Desiree's house, writes "When she reached L'abri she shuttered at the...show more content...
Chopin describes Desiree's feelings as Armand shows contempt for her black heritage and writes, "A quick conception of all that this accusation meant for her nerved her with unwonted courage to deny it." (Chopin). To Desiree, and society at the time, to be of African descent is clearly seen in an incredibly negative light. The use of accusation itself conjures images of a crime. She wanted more than anything to deny it implying it would lend itself to a downfall. Desiree living her life happily and contently until she knew of her African descent shows clearly how the lack of said knowledge and need for acceptance from her husband formed her identity. In a state of crisis, Desiree is described to have "not changed the thin white garment nor the slippers which she wore" as she "did not take the broad, beaten road which led to the far–off plantation of Valmonde. She walked across a deserted field, where the stubble bruised her tender feet, so delicately shod, and tore her thin gown to shreds." (Chopin). This metaphor shows her escape from the well–beaten path of hatred for a path where she can shed her societal status and ultimately lose the identity she had formed up to that
Criticism Great Gatsby
Reader–response Criticism
Reader–response criticism argues that the reader, with whatever experience they bring, will give the text its meaning. Thus, our personal experience/mission is relevant to the meaning of the text. A reader–response critic would say the truth of the text is something we make within ourselves, rather than outside ourselves. Such criticism also deems the text's indeterminacy as a stimulus towards our subjective interpretation.
Within The Great Gatsby, there is much indeterminacy surrounding Gatsby which allows the reader to create and form their own opinions. Nick seems to mirror the reader's attitudes toward Gatsby throughout the book as Gatsby's characterization progresses in both positive and negative portrayals....show more content...
Nick's interactions with other men and his attraction to more masculine women hints at Nick's proclivity toward men. The evidence for this is infinite. As seen from Nick's eyes, Nick notices both Gatsby's and McKee's grooming when he takes out his handkerchief to wipe McKee's "cheek the remains of the spot of dried lather" (36) and when he describes Gatsby's "short hair ... as though it were trimmed every day." (50) Even more so, in the description of the night with McKee, Nick is seen to be standing beside McKee who was "clad in his underwear." (38) Nick's description of his attraction to Jordan, too, whom he describes to have a "mustache of perspiration" (58) is of a male characteristic rather than a feminine one. Jordan also hints at lesbian undertones as much like a lesbian, she is a professional golf player whose appearance is "small breasted ... like a young cadet" (11) giving off a more masculine
Reader-Response Theory : Hans-Robert Jauss
C. Reader–response theory.
1. Hans–Robert Jauss. The first major reader–response theorist was Hans Robert Jauss (1921–1997). Jauss wrote on what he termed reader–response/reception history theory primarily in the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to Jauss, we do not approach texts as so–called "verbal icons," on their own terms (as Knapp and Michaels would have it), but based on the expectations of the reader. The history and background of the author and text known to the reader inform the reader's expectations. Thus, a reader will approach a recognized literary masterpiece with different expectations than a New York Times bestseller. This idea echoes Gadamer's view that both the history of the author and that of the reader...show more content...
He emphasized the cumulative historical experience of readers. He criticized New Critics like Knapp and Michaels and others who claimed to see works of literature as timeless objects. Jauss believed that a work is never "fixed in time." Views of a work change over time. Only by studying the history of the reception of a work can one come to understand it. The history of the work's reception is key to the reader's understanding of the text. Thus, a "classical" text becomes so only as the audience sees its "timeless truth." In this respect, Jauss differed from Gadamer, who saw "classics" as overcoming historical distance by their own aesthetic power. New literary forms can illuminate the previously–accepted meaning of older works. 3. Wolfgang Iser (1926–20007) was a member of Jauss' Constance School and investigated the "aesthetics of reception." Iser concentrated on the methodology by which individual readers constructed texts through the phenomenology of the reading process. Iser's work from 1970–76 draws on Baumgartner, Kant, and Schiller to focus on the affective and formal dimensions of art. He was also influenced by the hermeneutics of Schleiermacher and Heidegger. For Iser, the focus was the process of cognition in the reading of the work. Through this process, the reader fills in the "gaps" and "spaces" the author left which allow the reader to complete the meaning of the work. What goes on in the reader's mind during the
Critical Theories Of Reader-Response Theory
People start to express and exchange their opinions about art or literature works and try to understand the deeper meaning of them with the development of the society. Different critical theories that are introduced during this semester in Critical Inquiry have been built based on various of society events or issues in different periods. After getting in touch with each popular theory, Reader–Response Theory, in the personal opinion, has become one of the commonest theories since it only considers the personal experience of the readers and how it connects to the work; the readers would receive different messages and come up with their personal thoughts and comments toward what they read, see or watch. Different from African American Theory or LGBTQ Theory, Reader–Response Theory does not have a limitation on the subject position or cultural background because the comments and thoughts are based on the readers' personal experience and from their own view points, and this characteristic will always benefit people not only in college but also in their entire life by expanding their horizons and helping them to find and understand their own lens in professional practices. In Lois Tyson's Using Critical Theory, she explains that Reader–Response Theory is "something interesting or useful about ourselves" (13). Although there are several types of Reader–Response Theory focusing on different fields, when people come up with their reflections about a work, they are led by a
The Great Gatsby Response Essay
After reading the classic novel, The Great Gatsby I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed the book. All of the characters were absolutely fantastic and the author did a great job by making me not want to put the book down. However, even though the book was enjoyable, there are some things I did not like, and some changes and recommendations I have that could make the book be even better.
The personality of all of the characters were all very interesting and unique. F. Scott Fitzgerald made it easy to get inside most of the characters heads and know who they were. By the end of the book you knew them all inside and out. The mysteries Gatsby isn't so mysterious. He is just a heartbroken man stuck in the past. Tom is just an arrogant...show more content...
Everybody loves a good happy ending, and of course not all of the characters can have one, but some have earned it. It would make a lot more sense is daisy had left Tom to be with Gatsby, after all she didn't even get along with her husband. Tom is a horrible man and doesn't deserve to be with a girl like Daisy, so it just makes the most sense for Daisy to leave him. Also, there seemed to be a little bit of a romance going on between Nick and Jordan, and it would've been nice to see that go somewhere.
This book would have to be recommended for teens and adults. The book is perfect for teens and any age older than that because it is not really a kids book. There are way too many different ideas that need to be comprehended, so a child would not be able to understand it. A teenager will do a better job grasping the content of the book, but may not understand it 100% because there are some older aged terms mentioned. Adults will understand the book so much more, and especially the elderly because they lived through this time period. So, the older the reader is, the better comprehension and respect for the book will be.
The Great Gatsby is a wonderful book and can be enjoyed by almost anyone. It gives a great inside view of all of the characters, which makes it very enjoyable. There might be a couple changes needed to please the readers who like having happy
Literary Response And Analysis
The revised LRA or Literary Response and Analysis is an example of mastery of Writing Standard 5 that is about listening to peers and adults and making edits and revisions. To begin with, one major revision made was improving and reworking the analysis to be more effective. On the original LRA response, it states, " If it wasn't for Beorn, the dwarves, Gandalf, and Bilbo probably wouldn't know what to do. Also, the crew would be starving and tired as well if Gandalf didn't know who Beorn is." After receiving constructive criticism from my teacher, edits from the analysis were made and now it states, " Therefore, if Bilbo and the dwarves did not encounter Beorn, they would not know how to stay safe or where to go. Furthermore, Beorn supplied...show more content...
In particular, I wrote and rewrote a few rough drafts and also read through several peer review sheets or comments left on the Google Doc itself. The peer edit sheets were extremely useful for helping and correcting any mistakes because the other person could have different opinions on how to improve the essay as well as being able to discover mistakes I probably accidentally read over and did not notice it. Just as important were the self–assessment since that was most of the revision part and leads to the final product. For example, before the first self–assessment, my essay states, "However, the original novel already planned out the best beginning character personalities, therefore changing the initial plan of the book is useless because it can backfire." After reviewing the essay, I later wrote, "Changing the initial plan is useless because Tolkein already spent countless hours thinking and trying to perfect the quest of Bilbo and the dwarves." The transition aspect of the rubric improved my writing because it presented the expectation for how well the essay is supposed to "flow" together and be more smooth to read. After the first assessment, I made two more important changes after the peer review sheets. A major revision made was, "However, in the movie The Hobbit directed by Peter Jackson, he had made
In order to begin my presentation one much understand what literary criticism is. Literary criticism is the description and/or evaluation of a text. The meaning of a text derives from thinking critically, analysing different aspects of the text, essentially thinking in more than one perspective. In this presentation I will be discussing the perspectives of reader response and sociological criticism, in the film Slumdog Millionaire.
Reader–response criticism considers the role of the reader as essential to interpret the meaning of the text. In Slumdog Millionaire, the reader's response is based on the themes in the film. Such themes as economic injustice, corruption, romance and destiny. The experiences and expectations of the reader...show more content...
I am able to relate through the perspectives and attitudes of the characters. Personally relating to Jamal and his ignorance to the world, desiring to see the good in everyone, especially towards his brother, Salim.
The text has increased my interest in the subject matter in what the Government can do to change the current position in India and how Australia can support said change. My personal relation to the film has changed my perspective in my attitude towards certain aspects of Indian life. I am more compassionate towards the situation in which most Indians in Mumbai live in as not all circumstances are in their control, regarding to the social structure of Indian society.
My response to the film through reader response, forms a sense of vulnerability to my beliefs and morals. Disturbed by the themes in the film generated awareness of my attitude and understanding of certain scenarios portrayed in the film. Such as, in the scene the Bombay riot in which people are murdered cold blooded and police are shown to not care dismissing young Jamal calling for help as his lifeless mother floats in the water nearby.
Sociological criticism explores the cultural, economic and political context of the scenes within a text. Slumdog millionaire explores these themes in a confronting and realistic element. The Bombay riot one of many examples. In terms of physical power the police and gangsters have an upper hand, whereas, Jamal has power in the sense
Examples Of Reader Response Theory
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
According to Iser, any literary text which is a product of the Writer's intentional acts part–ly controls the response of a reader; however, this includes an abundance of gaps. In order to comprehend more clearly, the reader must take action in active participation in attempting to cre–atively fill these gaps with the given information of the test put before him; Thereby allowing the Reader and the text to undergo a transactional process. Iser speaks of the Actual reader in distinction to the Implied reader who is formed within a text and expected to react and respond in specific ways to the response inducing structure of the text. The actual reader, however, is an individual with its own personal experiences accumu–lated as baggage wherein responses actually are continuously and inevitably changed...show more content...
What lies behind Fish's thinking is a strong view of the social construction of reality; as he firmly believes that knowledge is not objective but always socially conditioned. All that one thinks and knows is an interpretation that is only made possible by the social context in which one lives. For Fish the very thought one thinks are made possible by presuppositions of the community in which one lives and furthermore the socially conditioned individual, which all individuals are, cannot think beyond the limits made possible by the culture. This culture is referred to by Fish as an interpre–tive
Reader Response: the Lottery
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 members all chatter amongst one another in a tone that kind neighbors would take with one another. To the surprise of the reader, the story provides a shocking twist. The story is not about someone winning a prize. Instead the story reveals...show more content...
She certainly succeeded in shocking her audiences with the unforeseeable twist that arose at the end of the story. I did not expect the ending that I read. Even when I realized that the woman of the family who drew the winning ticket was arguing against the winnings, I had not ever thought that perhaps someone would die as a result. The fact that children were also allowed to participate in the drawing is what really made my stomach churn. Jackson certainly provided a detailed enough picture in such a few short pages to pull a physical reaction from me. I cannot rightfully say that the story was a good one, but it definitely was brilliant. It still amazes me that an author can write so descriptively and so intelligently that he or she can pull physical, mental, and emotional reactions from the person reading the story. In this case, I had several reactions to the story. Not only did I feel disgusted at how the community members were so eager to stone the woman to death, I also felt a mind–numbing sensation at the fact that such violence and cruelty closely mirrors our own modern society without the archaic practices. As a modern society, we cut down the individual members of society in new ways. While we may not string them up to hang them, we do string them up publicly for the purpose of cruelty and humiliation. Just look at cyberbullying or mass
Literature Review: Reader Response Criticism
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 not exist without the reader and there will be no meaning in literary text if there is no interaction between the text and the reader itself. The act of reader is important since they are the active participant which produces the meaning from the literary text, while the kinds of responses itself such as; summarizing the text, analyzing them or relating the text story to their on experiences. Reader response takes literature exists not as a printed page but as a transaction between the physical text and the act of reader in using their mind. It attempts to describe what occur in the reader's mind while interpreting a text and reflects that reading into creative writing process....show more content...
It is called aesthetic response because, although it is brought about by the text, it brings into play the imagination and percpective faculties of the reader. Iser also stated "I call it aesthetic response because it stimulates the reader's imagination, which in turn gives life to the intended effects." Aesthetic response talks not only about the interaction between text and reader, but also the unique imaginative capacity that the reader brings into the
Beowulf Reader Response
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 of Cain, attacked the hall and killed thirty men when they fell asleep. Grendel continued these attacks for twelve winters. After all this time, word begins to spread throughout kingdoms. Beowulf, who is the best warrior in the world,...show more content...
He throws the hilt and the head on the ground showing him they she was killed and they can feel safe again. Hrothgar promises Beowulf more treasures and another banquet in the morning. After the banquet Beowulf urges that he and his men return home. Hrothgar Praises Beowulf again and tells his that he has reunited the Danes. He gives Beowulf twelve treasures and tells him to come back to Denmark even though Hrothgar knows he will never see Beowulf again. Beowulf sets sail back to Geatland and go back to the hall of Hygelac. Beowulf and his men return home, and go to the hall of King Hygelac and Queen Hygd. The Geats are preparing for their arrival since they heard news that Beowulf was coming home. They warriors and Beowulf receive a warm welcome. After Beowulf tells the story of what happened during his journey, he gives the king and queen a large part of his treasure. In return for all his good deeds, Hygelac gives him treasure and a piece of his own land to rule. Some time passes and king Hygelac is killed in a battle with the Shylfings. Beowulf becomes kings and rules for fifty years. A thief then steals a gem covered goblet and the furious dragon that has protected the treasure for over three hundred years becomes enraged, torching villages to pieces. Beowulf's own hall then becomes target and is burned to the ground. After all this time, Beowulf has to face one last obstacle. He sends eleven