...Brittany Charpentier 18 October 2011 Reader Response Criticism of James Joyce’s “Araby” Though there are many different theories to interpret the short story “Araby” I have chosen a reader response theory known as transactional reader response. In doing so I hope to show the connection between text and reader and how our emotions and state of mind directly reflect on how we interpret works of literature. In transactional reader response theory, presented by both Louise Rosenblatt and Wolfgang Iser, I will be using the text of “Araby” as my blueprint to guide me to my conclusions and how I interpret the text. According to Iser the text provides readers with two kinds of meanings determinate and indeterminate: “Determinate meaning refers to what might be called the facts of the text, certain events in the plot or physical descriptions clearly provided by the words on the page. In indeterminate meaning or indeterminacy, refers to “gaps” in the text – such as actions that are not clearly explained or seem to have multiple explanations…” (Tyson 174) By using both indeterminate and determinate meanings within the blueprint of “Araby” I will construct and describe the reading process I undertake. In the beginning of the blueprint we are introduced to the narrator’s surroundings in which he lives. He describes the street he lives on as isolated and goes on to include telling of the previous owner of the house being a deceased priest. The surroundings of the narrator and the...
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...The Violence in Beloved Beloved is filled with violence, but it’s relevant in making the story what it is. In order to make and emphasize her point and affect the reader, Morrison laces her main character’s timeline with violence, vulgarity, and sadness. It’s probably one of the most affective instruments the author uses in my opinion. She manipulates the readers feelings and expectations by insinuating flashbacks within her story without warning, all the while providing the reader the necessary information on how her main character, Sethe, had gotten to where she is in present day. Violence plays a huge role in the storyline and the emotional aspect that’s portrayed to the reader. When the speaker describes the tree embedded into Sethe’s back, and how she got it, the description allows the reader to really understand how badly she and the others were treated and be made aware of the circumstances that she had to live in. As the author describes the gruesome injustice done to Sethe by the inhumane man that had brutally beaten her to the point of her back being torn, it makes the reader feel sorry for Sethe. The symbolism behind the tree truly is literary genius. The author was able to take a traumatic event, a horrific one at that, and manage to symbolize it as something as peaceful and simple as a tree. By the author providing violence within her storyline, the violence proves to be more affective in terms of moving the audience. When Sethe prostitutes herself in order...
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...Readers Response to the Change in Ontological Levels in Metafiction In works of metafiction, literary works address the devices of fiction to uncover the fictional illusion. Sometimes these works have a voice interacting within the world or review a contemplation of thought. Some works utilize different scenarios to emphasize metafiction such as; a reader reading a literary work, an author writing a literary work, or a narrator intentionally exposing him or herself as the author of the story. These works could also address the specific conventions of story, such as title, character conventions, paragraphing or plots. The various ways of creating a metafictional work is meant to capture the reader by making them aware that the story being told is made up, preventing a connection to their reality. One must question how do readers respond to the metafictional work? Can this response change when a different media is being used? These questions must be evaluated first in order for the metafictional to be comprehended in the second reaction. After the reader has had time to pose certain questions it will help them understand the work of leiterature. Using reader’s reactions to Beckett’s “A Text for Nothing, Number 4,” “The Magic Poker” by Robert Coover and Virginia Woolf’s Orlando , we can evaluate the responses to these works and acceptance of the evident fictional world. In the first round of reading Samuel Beckett’s “A Text for Nothing, Number 4,” the reader might start off with...
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...Reader Response for story “Boys and Girls” I was inspired after reading the story “Boys and Girls”, although I am a male, but I still can feel the emotion of the character in the story, because the story “Boys and Girls” happened in 1960-1970s, however, the gender discrimination is more serious at that time in China. I was born in big city in China, and I am only child in the family. Even I am a boy; I already realized the gender difference and discrimination. I think in China lots of women have similar story just like the girl in the “Boys and Girls”. China is a traditional country; when I was a little boy, children are usually raised by the elders in the family before they go to primary school, because parents are very busy, they need to work every day. I was raised by my grandparents too, I am only child in the family so I cannot feel gender discrimination in that time, until I got on the primary school, my best friend in class is came from countryside, his situation and living environment is very different with me. He was raised with his older sister in his grandparent’s house; he could feel his grandparents treat he better than his sister. They grandparents usually offer he the better food and clothes than his older sister. When he made mistakes they would not blame he much but not his sister. And his older sister’s mother dislikes him and his mother, he was confused, till his mother told his, his aunt is jealous because...
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...Introduction to Literature (ADI1303A) Reader-response approach was the best way to look at The Story of an Hour. I connected on different levels with the story of a woman who fell out of love with her husband. The short story is written with two tones one of somber and one of joy. The writer goes between the two and shows how one event can span different emotions. The Story of an Hour is a wonderfully written short story that spoke to me. The two completely different tones of the piece drew me in. The story begins with a somber mood as the lady of the home is being told about the death of her husband. “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.” The tone in this sentence can be seen as somber, but it my also have a happy undertone. The loss of your soul mate should be a sad event, but perhaps that may not always be the case. As the story goes on the tone changes to one of elation as Mrs. Mallard begins to realize she is free from her husband. She begins to imagine her life without the burden of pretending to be in love with him. She makes her way down the stairs only to find her husband waiting at the end. Her heart condition gets the best of her and she dies on the spot. The last sentence brings the tone full circle and back to somber. The drama in this short story grabbed my attention, the tones changed fast. Reader-response approach looks at how a reader will connect with a piece of literature...
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...“An American Childhood” Reader’s Response Many details in Annie Dillard’s “An American Childhood” suggest that the author is retelling the events of an early childhood experience from the viewpoints of herself as an adult. Ms. Dillard’s essay uncovers the differences between how adults and children view the world and seek happiness. However, there are a couple points to this essay. It seems as though, one of the author’s main points was to convey the message that some of the simplest moments in her life were also the happiest and most memorable. For example, she says, “I got in trouble throwing snowballs, and have seldom been happier since”. Also, I noticed that the author seemed to be motivated to inspire readers to chase life’s experiences passionately until one is satisfied. In the essay the author uses two rhetorical modes: narration and description. Ms. Dillard uses narration to describe her perspective of what it was like to be a child in America. In addition to using narration she also describes the intricate details of that particular winter day “Six inches of new snow had just fallen. We were standing up to our boot tops in snow on a front yard trafficked Reynolds Street slowly and evenly; they were targets all but wrapped in red ribbons, cream puffs.” (91). In relation to the unit theme: The shaping of Identity this writing piece uses an autobiographical narrative and flashback writing techniques to portray the American Childhood. Ms. Dillard’s perspective of...
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...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 that the lottery is a barbaric and inhumane practice in which the person who is drawn is subsequently stoned to death by the member of the community. Upon first reading the story, I sat there shocked staring at the book, not fathoming what I had read. I ended up going back to the beginning and reading it again. It was after my second time reading the story that the dark, yet brilliant mind of the author finally mesmerized me. From what I gather, Jackson was obviously trying to portray humanity’s ability to be cruel toward their fellow man. The author also pointed out that we are drawn toward such graphic dramatizations because of the pointless inhumanity and violence that we are so inexplicably capable of. Although we do not go around stoning...
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...Readers Response - Araby Awe, young love. It’s exciting and thrilling, yet it can be exceptionally disappointing and unfulfilling. Araby is the name of the bazaar in which the main character of the story is going to so he can buy his young love, Mangan's sister, a gift. He is obsessed with the girl and even waits and watches for her out his window before they leave for school in the mornings. Once the girl exits her house he follows very swiftly and rushes past her, not knowing if he will ever utter a word to her. The girl ends up approaching him one day and asks if he is going to this bazaar ‘Araby’. She is sad to say that she cannot go, so he offers to bring her something back from it. He arrives late to the bazaar due to his uncle's tardiness, and doesn't make a purchase because the proprietors are beginning to pack up their wares. This leaves the young man irritated and exasperated. I recall having a handful of crushes on boys when I was in junior high school. I attended a weekly youth group where one named Matt would come to every other week on Wednesdays. I figured out he couldn't come to youth group every time, so I made sure that I was at every single one that I knew he would be at. I also discovered that he would come with a group from Boys Town, so he quickly obtained a bad boy rap. I think he liked me too because he would always smile at me and sit by me. One day when youth group was about to begin, I went to sit in a chair directly in front of him. Without...
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...someone who is not a character but knows the thoughts and feelings of the characters in the story. The omniscient technique is used in this story and is particularly effective in allowing the reader to understand the old woman's predicament and how she, and the others, dealt with it.” (sec.3.1) This short story pulls the reader in, engages them and allows them to imagine themselves at the church. The story captured my imagination, drawing me into the slavery time period. It was curiosity and emotion that drew me into the character. It provided me with a desire to escape a present association. This literary piece motivated me to continue to understand the heartache, pain and torment African American slaves endured. The connections I make to the characters are to change how the elderly and seniors are cared for, thought of and treated by society in general. Additional comparisons are made to current ambiguous societal racial tendencies. The analytical approach used to analyze this short story will be the reader-response methodology. There are two analytical theories that can be applied to “The Welcome Place”. One is the reader-response and the other is the formalist approach. In the reader-response approach the reader is drawn into a different time period through their imagination. The reader has to transmit themselves into the...
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...Reader Response: Korean culture, being proud and noble, it is not uncommon for parents to stress their children about future careers and occupations, so I can relate to Robinson in this situation. Signpost: (Words of the Wiser) “My father, a wise, and grave man, gave me serious an excellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design.” (Page 1) This quote was chosen to represent Words of the Wiser because here it is portrayed that Robinson is contemplating what to do with his life and his father is offering advice. The design that was foreseen by Robinson’s father, was a life of unproductive seafaring days, and possible pirating of others. 2) Reader Response: I believe this quote to display one of the changes from childish idiocy, to...
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...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 evident in “A Rose for Emily.” I disagree with William Faulkner and how he utilizes his short story “A Rose for Emily” to portray his view that women are second-class citizens. “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house…” (Faulkner, 217). Here in the very first paragraph of the story I quickly became aware of the writer’s intention to go out of the way to present the idea that women are of less moral value than men. Faulkner could have simply stated, “When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral,” but he decided instead to elaborate and give the specific reason for each...
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...Fredrick Douglass Reader Response In the times of complete poverty faced by Fredrick Douglass, the humanity of society was degraded by both; the masters being the oppressors and the unwilling slaves being the oppressed. Douglass was an intelligent, courageous individual that had a strong principle of moral stability, which is well evident in his narrative. He bravely writes about his experiences which have had an expansive, powerful impact all the way from the abolitionist movement up until our era. Fredrick Douglass was born into slavery which lead him to be a witness and victim of the dehumanization of colored individuals. He grew up observing how colored men and women were given a price, with little to no value. The slaves were degraded by having their rights stripped and seized from them by white slaveowners that treated them like animals. Knowingly they longed for freedom, the masters and overseers would still brutally punish any slave that would speak their mind. In...
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... ENGLISH 125 INSTRUCTOR JESSICA GUIRE AUGUST 27, 2012 The story of an hour The story I am choosing is the story of an hour by Kate Chopin (1894). Why I chose the story is because I found the story interesting. A tale kind of like the old saying I laughed I cried I fell down. This story kind of has it all just when you think she is lost to grief over the husband she loved but didn’t. She finds joy and when she’s ready to move on she dies from a kind of joy. Using a reader response approach I find I can identify with the main character Mrs. Mallard and the pain and loss she felt. The meaning of the story to me is about being able to move on but also about grieving for ones loss also. What I found interesting about the story of an hour is the main character they start with that Mrs. Mallard who has a heart condition they go on to explain that her sister is there to tell her that her husband has died in an accident from there she begins to grieve with her sisters support and then begins wonder if she really loved him or if it was just companionship she would be missing. Then when she finally finds a way to move on with her life she finds out that her husband was not dead but still alive. As she realizes that her...
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...A study of reader-response theories, and some views on how the objectivity of the literary text is or is not distinguished from the subjectivity of the reader's response by Clarissa Lee Ai Ling In the academic study of literature very little attention has been paid to the ordinary reader, the subjective individual who reads a particular text. David S. Miall and Don Kuiken, in their paper The form of reading: Empirical studies of literariness state. Almost no professional attention is being paid to the ordinary reader, who continues to read for the pleasure of understanding the world of the text rather than for the development of a deconstructive or historicist perspective. The concerns that an ordinary reader seems likely to have about a literary text, such as its style, its narrative structure, or the reader's relation to the author, the impact on the reader's understanding or feelings - such concerns now seem of little interest. In this paper I should like to study a few kinds of reader and the subjectivity of their responses to the objectivity found within literary texts, quoting some views found within reader-response criticism. Before I begin, I should like to consider what is meant by the term 'literary text', and what is meant by the objectivity of it. According to Terry Eagleton, [1] the definition of 'literary', as advanced by the Russian formalists, (who included in their ranks are Viktor Shklovsky, Roman Jakobson, Osip Brik, Yury Tynyanov, Boris Eichenbaum...
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...Task One Reading and Defence of The Crucible Prepared for Ms. Mussig Prepared by Maya Young English Extension Part One: The Reading Created from the mind of the world renowned playwright and author Arthur Miller, is the horrifying story of deceit, accusation and guilt of The Crucible. Written in 1953, The Crucible is a confronting play that explores the unfathomable true events that took place in the small religious village of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, where by members of the Salem community began accusing others of dealing with and practising the magic of the Devil. These accusations are what led to the Salem witch-trials. Through this play Miller is able to emphasise the absurdity of these trials, which resulted in the hangings of twenty innocent people. I personally came across The Crucible through my English Extension class. To be perfectly honest, when I first picked up this text, I was unsure of what to expect. Apart from reading Shakespeare, I had never been exposed to reading in the playwright form. I did not know what my approach to the play was going to be or how I would react to reading it, or if there was a certain way in which I was supposed to be affected by it. I also had yet to read a text written by Arthur Miller, so I was unaware of his style of writing and again did not know what to expect from it. After finishing the play for the first time I was satisfied that I had thoroughly enjoyed reading the story, whilst developing a love...
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