William L Randall and A. Elizabeth McKim
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195306873
- eISBN:
- 9780199894062
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306873.003.0004
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology
This chapter discusses the nature of reading from the perspectives of both psychology and literary theory. Research into the cognitive and neurological features of reading indicates that we process ...
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This chapter discusses the nature of reading from the perspectives of both psychology and literary theory. Research into the cognitive and neurological features of reading indicates that we process written text in much the same way as we process day-to-day experience. In their analyses of reader-response, literary theorists insist that reading is a constructive process, and that a text's meaning depends as much on the reader's interpretation as on the author's intention. Awareness of this process, and of the fact that every text is thus an open text, is necessary for gaining literary competence. Such awareness has been labeled by Louise Rosenblatt as “aesthetic reading,” in opposition to “efferent reading,” which locates meaning only in the text. The chapter argues that reading literature can aid us in reading life, as claimed by proponents of bibliotherapy. Moreover, understanding the process of reading can contribute to the acquisition of literary self-literacy.Less
This chapter discusses the nature of reading from the perspectives of both psychology and literary theory. Research into the cognitive and neurological features of reading indicates that we process written text in much the same way as we process day-to-day experience. In their analyses of reader-response, literary theorists insist that reading is a constructive process, and that a text's meaning depends as much on the reader's interpretation as on the author's intention. Awareness of this process, and of the fact that every text is thus an open text, is necessary for gaining literary competence. Such awareness has been labeled by Louise Rosenblatt as “aesthetic reading,” in opposition to “efferent reading,” which locates meaning only in the text. The chapter argues that reading literature can aid us in reading life, as claimed by proponents of bibliotherapy. Moreover, understanding the process of reading can contribute to the acquisition of literary self-literacy.
Yohei Igarashi
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781503610040
- eISBN:
- 9781503610736
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9781503610040.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
The conclusion offers a theory of literariness based on the “dream of communication” discussed in this study. The conclusion goes on to discuss Walter J. Ong’s critique of the “media model” of ...
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The conclusion offers a theory of literariness based on the “dream of communication” discussed in this study. The conclusion goes on to discuss Walter J. Ong’s critique of the “media model” of communication, Roman Jakobson’s definition of poetic communication, and Jonathan Culler’s idea of “literary competence.” Responding to these other theories, this chapter ultimately recommends a new kind of literary competence for today, one that would include a sensitivity to the different forms of verbal communication in our media-saturated environment.Less
The conclusion offers a theory of literariness based on the “dream of communication” discussed in this study. The conclusion goes on to discuss Walter J. Ong’s critique of the “media model” of communication, Roman Jakobson’s definition of poetic communication, and Jonathan Culler’s idea of “literary competence.” Responding to these other theories, this chapter ultimately recommends a new kind of literary competence for today, one that would include a sensitivity to the different forms of verbal communication in our media-saturated environment.
