Reader-oriented Approach

Reader-oriented approach, i.e. Reader Response Theory states that the reader creates the meaning of a literary work, rather than discovering it (“Reader Response Criticism”, Encyclopaedia Britannica ). It was introduced in Germany and USA as a response to New Criticism during 1940ties – 1970ties (“Reader Response Criticism”, Vaia). New Criticism defined literary work as a self-contained object that does not need any reader´s response (Woodruff and Griffin 110). On the contrary, Reader Response Theory claims that it is the reader who plays the vital role and forms a “transaction” with the text which gives the literary work the meaning (Woodruff and Griffin 110-111). Each reader reads the text in their own manner using their prior knowledge, education and overall experience and thus comes to their own unique interpretation of the text (Brown, Chen, Baroudi, Sevinc).  

Main Reader Response theorists:

Wolfgang Iser (1926-2007)

Louise Rosenblatt ( 1904-2005)

Stanley E. Fish (1938)

Norman Holland (1927-2017)

David Bleich (1940)

Works cited:

“Reader Response Criticism”. Vaia. Web. 28 Sept. 2023 https://www.hellovaia.com/explanations/english-literature/literary-criticism-and-theory/reader-response-criticism/

“Reader Response Criticism”. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Web. 28 Sept. 2023

https://www.britannica.com/art/reader-response-criticism

WOODRUFF, Amanda, H. and GRIFFIN, Robert, A. READER RESPONSE IN SECONDARY SETTINGS: INCREASING COMPREHENSION THROUGH MEANINGFUL INTERACTIONS WITH LITERARY TEXTS. Texas Journal of Literary Education. Web. 28 Sept. 2023

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1162670.pdf

BROWNE, Susan; CHEN, Xiufang; BAROUDI, Faten a SEVINC, Esra. Reader Response Theory. www.oxfordbibliographies.com. Web. 28 Sept. 2023

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780190221911/obo-9780190221911-0107.xml

Author of the page: Romana Koudelková