CONTEMPORA
RY
LITERATURE
READER-ORIENTED CRITICISM
Reporter: CHARELLE HONEY T. DUMYA-AS
MAEd-English
INTRODUCTIO
N
• Reader-Oriented Criticism focuses on the
reader’s interpretation of a text, emphasizing
the reader’s perspective and experience
over the author’s intentions.
• This approach enriches our understanding of
literature by considering the diverse ways in
which readers engage with and make
meaning from texts.
INTRODUCTIO
N
Reader-Oriented Criticism emphasizes the role of the
reader on interpreting texts.
It posits that meaning is not solely derived from the
text itself but is co-created through the reader’s
engagement with it.
It analyzes how textual elements-narrative structure,
characterization , language and imagery- shape and
influence the reader’s experience and interpretation
HISTORICAL
DEVELOPMENT
This approach emerged in the late 20th as a
response to formalist criticism, which
focused primarily on the text
But such precise dating is artificial because
readers have obviously been responding to
what they have read and experienced since
the dawn of literature its
HISTORICAL
DEVELOPMENT
I. A. was a poet, dramatist,
philosopher, psychologist is
among the 1st 20th century critics
He is a pioneer of new criticism
I. A. RICHARDS
HISTORICAL
DEVELOPMENT
New criticism and the whole modern
poetics derive their strength and inspiration
from the seminal writings of Richard’s such
as principles of literary criticism
His path breaking works are:
1. The meaning of meaning
2. The principles of Literary Criticism
3. The practical criticism I. A. RICHARDS
PRACTICAL CRITICISM
• This began into 1920 with a series of experiments by
the Cambridge critic I. A. Richards.
• The main objective of his work was to encourage
students to concentrate on the words on the page
rather than dependent on the preconceived or
received believed about the text
1) Four kinds of meaning
2) Two uses of language
3) Figurative language
LOUISE M. ROSENBLATT
TRANSACTIONAL THEORY
LOUISE M. ROSENBLATT
TRANSACTIONAL THEORY
LOUISE M. ROSENBLATT
TRANSACTIONAL THEORY
LOUISE M. ROSENBLATT
ASSUMPTIONS
1. SUBJECTIVITY- readers bring their
own experiences, emotions, contexts,
which shape their interpretation.
ASSUMPTIONS
2. TRANSACTIONAL NATURE- Meaning
is constructed through the transactional
between the reader and the text.
ASSUMPTIONS
3.MULTIPLICITY OF MEANING- a
single text can have multiple
interpretations based on different readers’
perspectives
METHODOLOGY
Structuralism
Phenomenology
Subjective Criticism
METHODOLOGY
A.
STRUCTURALISM
approach textual analysis as if it were a science.
look for specific codes within the text that allow
meaning to occur (e.g. Red light and sirens)
The text becomes important because it contains
signs or signals to the reader that have
preestablished and acceptable interpretations.
METHODOLOGY
NARRATOLOGY
Founded by Gerard Prince in the 1970s
the process of analyzing a story using all the
elements involved in its telling, such as narrator,
voice, style, verb tense, personal pronouns,
audience, and so forth.
the narrative itself - that is, the story-produces the
narratee.
Such narratees may include the real reader, the
METHODOLOGY
The specific kind of structuralism is known as
Narratology
Real reader (the person actually reading the book)
Virtual reader (the reader to whom the author to believes
he/she is writing)
Ideal reader (the one who explicitly and implicitly understand
all the nuances, terminology, and structure of the text)
METHODOLOGY
B.
PHENOMENOLOG
is a modem philosophical
Y
tendency that emphasizes the
perceiver.
Objects can have meaning
only if an active consciousness
(a perceiver) absorbs or notes
their existence.
The true poem can exist only
in the reader's consciousness,
not on the printed page. Hans Robert
Jauss
METHODOLOGY
B.
PHENOMENOLOG
emphasizes that a text's
Y social history must be
considered when interpreting the text.
critics must examine how any given text was
accepted or received by its contemporary readers.
reception theory - readers from any given historical
period devise for themselves the criteria whereby
they will judge a text.
horizons of expectation - include all of a historical
period’s critical vocabulary and assessment of a text
Because each historical period establishes its own
horizons of expectation, the overall value and
meaning of any text can never become fixed or
universal; readers from any given historical period Hans Robert
Jauss
establish for themselves what they value in a text.
METHODOLOGY
B.
PHENOMENOLOG
Y
believes that any object-for example, a
stone, a house, or a poem-does not achieve
meaning until an active consciousness
recognizes or registers this object.
the critic's role is to examine and explain
the text's effect on the reader.
Implied Reader vs Actual Reader
texts, in and of themselves, do not possess
meaning.
When a text is concretized, the reader
automatically views the text from his or her
Wolfgang Iser
personal worldview.
METHODOLOGY
C.
SUBJECTIVE
CRITICISM
the reader's thoughts, beliefs, and experiences
play a greater part than the actual text in
shaping a work's meaning
In addition, each reader creates his/her own
horizons of expectation- that is expectation
about what will or may should happen next
METHODOLOGY C.
SUBJECTIVE
CRITICISM are
For Holland, all interpretations
subjective. Unlike new criticism, his
reader-oriented approach asserts that
no “correct interpretation” exist
From his perspective, there are as many
valid interpretation as there are readers
because the act of interpretation is a
subjective experience.
He uses the Freudian psychoanalysis as
the foundation of his theory and
practices formulated in the early 1970s. Norman Holland
METHODOLOGY C.
SUBJECTIVE
CRITICISM
believes that at birth we receive from our
mothers a primary identity. We personalize this
identity through our life's experiences,
transforming it into our own individualized
identity theme that becomes the lens through
which we see the world.
Textual interpretation becomes a matter of
working out our own fears, desires, and needs
to help maintain our psychological health.
A reader, transforms a text into a private world,
a place where the reader works out (through
the ego) his or her fantasies, which are actually
mediated by the text so that they will be Norman Holland
socially acceptable.
METHODOLOGY C.
SUBJECTIVE
CRITICISM
Founder of “Subjective Criticism”
He agrees with Holland’s
psychological explanation of the
interpretive process, but Bleich
devalues the role of the texts plays,
denying its objectives existence
He argues that meaning does not
reside in the text but is developed
when the reader works in cooperation
with other readers to achieve the
text’s collective meaning David Bleich
A TWO-STEP METHODOLOGY
Reading is an activity,
something you do (Stanley Fish,
Is There a Text in this Class?)
The answer of this book gives to
its title question is “there is”
and “there isn’t”.
A TWO-STEP METHODOLOGY
The Text’s Task: the text itself represents a task or
challenge to the reader. This could be a question the
text raises, a problem it presents, or an emotional
experience it evokes.
The Reader’s Response: The reader responds to
this task, bringing their own experiences, knowledge,
and perspectives to bear on the text. This response
can be emotional , intellectctual , or a combination of
both
A QUESTION FOR
ANALYSIS
Who is the actual reader?
Who is the implied reader?
Who is the ideal reader?
Who is the narratee?
What are some gaps you see in the
text?
Can you list several horizons of
expectations and show how they
change from a particular text's
beginning to its conclusion?
CRITIQUES AND
RESPONSES
Using Jauss's definition of horizons of expectation, can you
develop (first on your own and then with your classmates) an
interpretation of a particular text?
Can you articulate your identity theme as you develop your
personal interpretation of a particular text?
Using Bleich's subjective criticism, can you state the difference
between your response to a text and your interpretation?
In a classroom setting, develop your class's interpretive
strategies for arriving at the meaning of a particular text.
As you interpret this text, can you cite the interpretive
community or communities to which you, the reader, belong?
Because all reader-oriented critics agree that the
individual reader creates the text’s meaning
Reader-oriented criticism declares that there can be no
correct meaning for any text; instead many valid
interpretation are possible
If there’s no right or wrong
answer in reader-response
reading, how should we give
ratings to our student’s
work?
Think about a time when
you gave someone a gift,
and it wasn’t just a gift but
something very special.
….What was it?
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
O. Henry, the author of The Gift of the Magi, was
born William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North
Carolina in 1862
Childhood: Porter's mother died when he was three
years old, and he was raised by his grandmother
and aunt.
Education: Porter left school at age 15 and worked
as a drugstore clerk for his uncle.
Jobs: Porter worked as a ranch hand, pharmacist,
bookkeeper, and bank teller.
Imprisonment: Porter was accused of embezzling
money from the bank and fled to Honduras. He
returned when he learned his wife was dying and
served three years in prison.
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
Writing: Porter wrote short stories in prison to
support his daughter, using pseudonyms to hide
the fact that he was writing from jail.
Pen name: After his release from prison, Porter
moved to New York City and began writing under
the pen name O. Henry. He became known for his
surprise endings and stories about New York City.
Death: Porter died from cirrhosis of the liver in
1910 at the age of 47.
The Gift of the Magi was published in 1905 and
appears in the collection The Four Million. The
story is set in a shabby apartment in New York in
the early 1900s. It tells the story of a poor couple
who give each other gifts of sacrifice at Christmas.
The Gift of the Magi
O. Henry
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
1. What did you
think about Della
and Jim’s love for
each other?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
2. How did you feel
when Della cut her
hair?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
3. What was the
most surprising
thing that happened
in the story?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
4. If you were Della,
would you have sold
your hair? Why or
why not?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
5. What do you think
the story is trying to
teach us about
giving gifts?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
6. Did the story
make you think
about your own
family or friends?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
7. What did you
think about the
ending of the story?
Was it happy or sad?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
8. What was the
most important
lesson you learned
from this story?
1. How does the story connect to the overall
theme
9. If you could give
Della and Jim one
piece of advice, what
would it be?
How does the story’s title, “ The
Gift of the Magi”, tell us about the
main idea of the story? How does
the story show us that love and
sacrifice are important?
CHARACTER ANALYSIS: How do
we learn about Della and Jim’s
feelings for each other? What does
this tell us about their characters?
SYMBOLISM: What are something
in the story that stands for
something else? (Gift, Della’s hair,
apartment represents?). How do
these symbols help us understand
the characters and the story’s
message?
IRONY: How does the story
surprise us with unexpected
outcomes? How does this surprise
make us feel more deeply about
the story?
THEME: What is the most
important message of “The Gift of
the Magi”? How do Della and Jim’s
action show us this message?
READER RESPONSE: How did this
story make you feel? Did you
connect with any of the characters
or ideas in the story?
