Reader-Response Criticism

1. What is Reader-response criticism in literature? 

Ans: The criticism that focuses on reader's responses to literary tesxts is called reader response criticism. It was focused in 1970s in reaction to the new critics. Reader's responses are important enough to become the focus of literary criticism. A reader assumes that
“I can read the text and understand in my own way. My interpretation also can be one interpretation.” Readers decide the meaning of the text according to this criticism. It rejects the ideas that the author or the text only decides the meaning. Readers are at the center to determine the meaning.

Reader-response criticism rejects idea of New Criticism. New criticism rejects idea of New Criticism. New critics believe that the text is objective and meaning is in the text. But the REader response critics believe that the meaning is the way understood by the reader. It also rejects psychological interpretation which focuses that the literary text is the expression of author's inner feelings and personality as said by Sigmund Freud. Reader-response criticism focuses on reading process of the reader. There are two important beliefs of the reader-response theorists:
1. The role of the reader cannot be omitted from our understanding
of literature. Without a reader the text remains incomplete. 

2.The readers do not passively consume the meaning presented to  them by an objective literary text; rather they actively make the meaning they find in literature. The readers read the text differently. They are active to make meaning. Therefore, two different readers may find two different meanings of the same text. Hundred readers may find hundreds of meanings. Similarly, the same reader may find different meaning in his second reading of the same text because his mood and context may change after some time. The same text read in childhood and in old age may be totally different. A text reading at home for pleasure and reading  in college may be different. 

Therefore, the reader in his own context decides the meaning of the text according to this criticism. 

2.Discuss the types of reader-response criticisms/theories.

Ans: Reader-responses are important in reader-response criticism. Basically, there are 5 types of reader-response theories as divided by Lois Tyson. They are:
A. Transactional reader-response theory 

B. Affective stylistics
C. Subjective reader-response theory 

d. Psychological reader-response theory 

e. Social reader-response theory 

A. Transactional reader-response theory analyzes the transactions between the text and the reader. Lois Rosenblatt formulated this theory For her both the text and the reader are important to create the meaning There is give and take between them. Text stimulates the reader while reader also helps the text to meaningful. His process of reading is useful to create meaning. The reader's expectation are changed when the texts gives them new information. The reader also helps the text to be meaningful by contextualizing in his own life. There are two modes of reading. Reading of information is efferent mode. Reading for pleasure is aesthetic mode. Every text offers two types of meanings: determinate
and indeterminate meaning. 

b. Effective stylistics claims that meaning is determined on the basis of
'how it affects the reader in the process of reading.' The meaning is the result it produces when the reader read it. The mental process produced by the reading of the text determines the meaning for that time. "It is a slow motion" phrase to phrase analysis. What effect does the sentence put in reader's mind is important in this type of reader-response theory. Stanly Fish is the major critic. 

C. Subjective reader-response theory was developed by David Bleich. He says that 'reader's responses are the text.' He shows two kinds of objects: real objects and the symbolic objects. The chair, pen, book are real objects. The meaning of the letters or words are symbolic objects. So readers make meaning from symbolic object in their own way. It is the readers who 'producing' knowledge while reading. Experience oriented response of the reader are most important. Different readers have different experience so their subjective interpretation are also
different. 

d. Psychological reader-response theory was formularized by Norman
Holland. He focuses that 'readers' motives strongly influence how they read.' The oedipal and Electra relationship of the reader may determine the meanings. We reader find that meaning only which has become our psychological need. We find that meaning that fulfill our desires. Reader's identity can be determined on the basis of what meaning they get from the text. Their inner desires like sex, anger, greed, violence are revealed when they make meaning. Defense, fantasy, transformation of meaning takes place during that process. It helps to find readers' psychological therapeutic self knowledge. 

e. Social reader-response theory was developed by Stanley Fish in his
later work. He says that there is nothing personal to the reader. They are the part of a community/society. So called personal meaning also becomes social. The community of the reader is called interpretative community. A reader from Marxist community readers the text in class struggle mode. They use different strategies than other readers. Strategies of different communities are different. So the readers get different meaning of the same texts.

All of the methods highlight the importance of the readers’ activities and responses.