Semesteroppgave i ENG4369 – Reception Studies, høst 2012. En pdf av oppgaveteksten finnes her.
I have chosen to compare and contrast two theorists from our syllabus, Stanley Fish and Wolfgang Iser. Albeit both propagandists of the so-called reader response theory of literary criticism, they differ on some central tenets in their respective theoretical approaches: The importance of the primary text, the importance of the author, the extent of the work done by the reader, the importance of the relative situatedness of the reader, and the stability of texts across readers and readings.
I have chosen to compare and contrast two theorists from our syllabus, Stanley Fish and Wolfgang Iser. Albeit both propagandists of the so-called reader response theory of literary criticism, they differ on some central tenets in their respective theoretical approaches: The importance of the primary text, the importance of the author, the extent of the work done by the reader, the importance of the relative situatedness of the reader, and the stability of texts across readers and readings.
I will outline their main contributions to the field of literary
criticism, with a focus on their importance for our specific field of enquiry, reception
studies; point out where their approaches conflict; and try to tentatively
offer my own criticism of their stances. Where I deem their approaches
inadequate, I will supplement them with other theorists. My main thesis
statement for this essay is thus: In what ways do the works of Stanley Fish and
Wolfgang Iser inform the study of reception?
