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Wolfgang Iser - The Reading Process

Thesis:

The reading process is an interaction between the text and the reader's imagination.

Main Points:

P. 1219 tHE PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO READING STATES THAT IN CONSIDERING A LITERARY WORK, ONE MUST TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE ACTUAL TEXT CREATED BY THE AUTHOR AS WELL AS THE REACTION OF THE READER.
P.1220 READING IS ONLY PLEASURABLE WHEN IT IS ACTIVE AND CREATIVE, OR ENGAGES THE READER'S IMAGINATION.
P. 1222 LITERARY TEXTS TRANFORM READING INTO A CREATIVE PROCESS, WHICH ALLOWS THE READERTO BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE TEXT'S EVENTS, THUS CREATING A VIRTUAL DIMENSION.
P.1223 READERS FILL IN THE GAPS LEFT BY THE WRITTEN TEXT BY USING THEIR IMAGINATION. THEREFORE, ONE TEXT IS CAPABLE OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT REALIZATIONS BECAUSE EACH INDIVIDUAL FILLS IN THE GAPS IN THEIR OWN WAY.
P.1224 THE LITERARY TEXT ACTS AS A MIRRORIN WHICH THE READER'S EXPERIENCE WITH THE TEXT REFLECTS HIS/HER OWN DISPOSITION
P. 1224 AUTHOR OF A TEXT MAY INFLUENCE THE READER'S IMAGINATION BUT WON'T SET THE WHOLE PICTURE.
P.1224 TEXT PLAYS 2 PARTS: 1) WRITTEN - TO GIVE KNOWLEDGE AND 2) UNWRITTEN-OPPURTUNITY FOR READER TO PICTURE ITEMS IN THE TEXT.
P.1224 PICTURING DONE BY THE IMAGINATION IS ONLY ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES THROUGH WHICH WE FROM THE GESTALT PHILOSOPHY OF LITERATURE.
P.1225 GESTALT IS NOT THE TRUE MEANING OF THE TEXT BUT A CONFIGUTIVE MEANING.
P.1225 TEXT CREATES EITHER AN ESCAPISM OR ILLUSION INTO LITERATURE.
P.1227 INTERPLAY BETWEEN DEDUCTION AND INDUCTION GIVES RISE TO THE MEANING OF THE TEXT.
P.1230 WHAT IS NORMALLY MEANT BY "IDENTIFICATION" IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AFFINITIES BETWEEN ONESELF AND SOME OUTSIDE ONESELF- A FAMILIAR GROUND ON WHICH WE ARE ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THE UNFAMILIAR.
P.1231 A RELATIONSHIP CAN ONLY COME ABOUT THROUGHT THE NEGATION OF THE AUTHOR'S OWN LIFESTORY AND THE READER'S OWN DISPOSITION. (POULET)

DEFINITIONS:

GESTALT=

A STRUCTURE,CONFIGURATION OR PATTERN OF PHYSICAL, BIOLOGICAL,OR PSYCHOLOGICAL PHENOMENA SO INTERGRATED AS TO CONSTITUTE A FUNCTIONAL UNIT WITH PROPERTIES NOT DERIVABLE FROM ITS PARTS IN SUMMATION.

PHENOMENOLOGICAL=

THE STUDY OF THE DEVELOPMENTOF HUMAN CONCIOUSNESS AND SELF-AWARENESS.

VIRTUAL DIMENSION=

THE COMING TOGETHER OF TEXT AND IMAGINATION.

IDENTIFICATION=

THE PROCESS OF ABSORBING THE UNFAMILIAR.

RESPONSE:

THE READER NEEDS THREE ASPECTSIN ORDER TO ACQUIRE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TEXT:
1) ANTICIPATION
2) THE TEXT AS A LIVING EVENT
3) LIFE-LIKENESS
WE FELT THAT ISER HAD SOME RELEVANT POINTS, IN THAT WHILE READING WE DO USE OUR IMAGINATION TO MAKE CONNECTIONS WITHIN THE TEXT.