Reader-Response Criticism: From Formalism to Post-Structuralism

Book Overview

Reader-Response Criticism: From Formalism to Post-Structuralism collects the most important theoretical statements on readers and the reading process. Its essays trace the development of reader-response criticm from its beginnings in New Criticism (Walker Gibson) through its appearance in structuralism (Gerald Prince, Jonathan Culler), stylistics (Michael Riffaterre), phenomenology (Georges Poulet, Wolfgang Iser, Stanley Fish), psychoanalytic criticism (Norman N. Holland, David Bleich), and post-structuiralist theory (Fish, Walter Benn Michaels). The editor shows how each of these essays treats the problem of determinate meaning and compares their unspoken moral assumptions. In a concluding essay, she redefines the reader-response movement by placing it in historical perspective, providing the first short history of the concept of literary response.

This anthology remains an indispensable guide to reader-response criticm. It is a valuable text for courses in literary criticism and theory as well as a superior refernce work for scholars and students of literature, critical theory, and the philosophy of art.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080182401X
• ISBN13: 9780801824012
• Release Date: December 1980
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Essays by Reader-Response theorists

Jane Tompkins came out with the first edition of this book in 1980 and, nearly thirty years later, her book remains a good collection of essays by reader-response theorists. An Introduction by Jane Tompkins situates the essays within literary theory. Reader response rose out of New Criticism, whose history is conveyed by contributer Walker Gibson. Gibson's chapter is accompanied by chapters written by Gerald Prince and Jonathan Culler (structuralism), Michael Riffaterre (stylistics), a translation of Georges Poulet by Catherine and Richard Macksey (phenomenology), Wolfgang Iser (phenomenology), Stanley Fish (phenomenology), Norman Holland (psychoanlytic), and Walter Benn Michaels (poststructuralist). A concluding chapter by Jane Tompkins reminds the reader of the changing shape of literary response. An annotated bibliography nicely concludes this helpful collection of reader-response critical theory.

The Pioneering Classic

A lively and thoughtprovoking tour of literary response theory. A classic and still the best work in its field.

Book for school

This book is very accessible and the material is very relevant to today's theories. I do find that a lot of it is repetitive and half of the articles could have been left out! How much can you say about Reader Response Criticism!? ;0)

Solid

Tompkins's(ed.) _Reader-Response Criticism_ is an excellent place to start for any student of reader theory. It is a collection of essays that deals with the development of literary response theory, from New Criticism to post-structuralism.