读者反应批评理论分析孙建

读者反应批评理论分析孙建

孙建

孙建上海外国语大学201620

Abstract:Thispaperaimsatexpatiatingonthespecificsofthereader-responsecriticism,fromtheconceptofittothesignificanceofitfollowedbyitscontributionsanddrawbacksonthebasisofpreviousstudiesandtheauthor’sowninterpretation.

Keywords:reader-responsecriticism,significance,contributionsanddrawbacks

1.Introduction

Thetermofreader-responsecriticismhasitsoriginsintheoriesofAmericanliterarycriticism,whichgenerallymeansallliterarycriticismwithreadersbeingthecenter.Thewesternliterarytheoreticalcircleconstructedthemethodofliteraryresearchfromtheangleofreaders’comprehensionandacceptance,usheringinthetransformationfromthesocalledauthorsasthecoretotextsasthecoreandfinallytoreadersasthecore(Wang,2006).However,inthedomesticliterarytheoreticalcircle,thistransformationemergedalittlebitlater,untilYanFuputforwardthethreebasicprinciplesoftranslation,viz.faithfulness,expressivenessandelegance,inwhichtheprincipleofelegance,accordingtohim,wastoattractreaders’attention,andthatmaybethefirsttimereadersweretakenintoconsiderationinthefieldofliteratureinourcountry.

2.ThecontentoftheReader-ResponseCriticism

Whatthereader-responsecriticismisconcernedaboutistheactivityinreadingliteraryworks,puttingforwardaspecificliterarytheory,onthebasisofwhichtheliterarycriticismiscarriedout.Itclaimsthat:1)thetextofaliteraryworkisthestructureofmeaningthatisbuiltbytheauthor,buttheessenceofitistheproductorthecreationofreaderstogetherwithauthors;2)attentionshouldbepaidtotheresponseofreaderstowardssomeliteraryworksratherthanthetextswhenitcomestothecriticismofsomeliteraryworks,orinotherwords,totheresponseofreaderstowardsthecomplexinterpretationofthecontentofliteraryworks（Mundhenk,1974）;3)inthetextsofliteraryworksthereisno“theonlycorrectmeaning”,ortheonlycorrectexplanation;theagreementinsomeliteraryworksortheirinterpretationexistsinsomereaderswithinaspecifiedcondition;4)whatcountsistoanalyzethemainfactorsintheformationofreaders’responseandthelinkbetweenwhatthetextsprovideandthe“subjective”responseofinpidualreaders;etc.

3.ThesignificanceoftheReader-ResponseCriticism

3.1.Determiningthelifeofliteraryworks

Everypieceofliteraryworkshaslifeorlifespantobemoreprecise.Itiseasytounderstandthatthelifeofliteraryworksisdeterminedbyreaders.TakeCharlotteBronteforinstance.ShenodoubtwasoneofthegreatestBritishwritersin19Century.Nevertheless,herfirstnovel,TheProfessor,wasnotpublisheduntilshepassedaway.Manypublishersoncerefusedtopublishitduetotheirconcernaboutwhetherit

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作者简介：孙建，男，上海外国语大学英语语言文学硕士

wouldwinenoughreaders.Ensuingdays,however,witnesseditsgreatsuccessinviewofalargenumberofreadersacrossthisworldenjoyingthisnovelwhoselifeisstillandwillbevivid.Therefore,otherthingsbeingequal,readers’tasteandresponsetoalargeextentdeterminesthelifeofacertainliterarywork.

3.2.Revealingthevalueofliteraryworks

Thevalueofliteraryworksmeansthequalitythatrendersthem,usuallynotdeterminedbyauthors,butbyreaders,orspecifically,bytheirresponsecriticism.Animpressionwillbeposedonwhoeverhasreadapoem,anessayoranovel,whetheritispositiveornegative,andsuchanimpressionwillexertasubtleimpactuponthevalueoftheliteraryformsinquestion.Andastimegoesby,theseimpressionswillpoolintoabigentitylikeasnowballwhichatlengthaffectsthevalueofliteraryworks.Therefore,viaananalysisofthereaders’responsecriticism,therevelationofthevalueofliteraryworkswillbeavailable.

4.ContributionsanddrawbacksoftheReader-ResponseCriticism

Thereader-responsecriticismhascorrectedthetendencyofdogmatismandputforwardtheideathattheinterpretationofliteraryworksisplentiful,complicated,versatileandflexible.Itcanbepredictedthatreaderswillnotbeignoredanymoreintheacquisitionofmeaningsofliteraryworks.Inthefieldofliterature,authors,worksandreadersarecombinedtogetherandinteractedwithoneanotherforthefirsttime,usheringinanewagewhenafreshthinkingparadigmgraduallytakesshapeandpriorityisgiventoreaderswhosethinkingmodesandcreativityhaveabearingupontheliteraryworks.However,toomuchemphasislaidonthefeelingsofreadersandanignoranceofliteraryworks’characteristicsperseandauthors’personalitiesinliterarycreationwouldbringtheconsequenceofgoingfromoneextremetoanother,andtouchoffsubjectivism,relativism,anarchisminreadingandotherformsofmisunderstanding.

5.Conclusion

Asissaidabove,thereader-responsecriticismisaliteraryresearchingtheoryofgreatsignificanceamongothers.Itshiftstheemphasisawayfromthetextasthesoledeterminerofmeaningtowardthesignificanceofthereaderasanessentialparticipantinthereadingprocessandthecreationofmeaning,thuscouldberegardedasaneffectivetooltoevaluatethevalueofliteraryworks.

References

【1】Mundhenk.OnLanguage,Culture,andReligion［M］.TheHague:Mouton,1974.

【2】王宏印.文学翻译批评论稿［M］.上海：上海外语教育出版社，2006.