11.3 Reception Theory and Hans Robert Jauss

Reception theory explores how readers actively create meaning when engaging with literature. It introduces the "horizon of expectations," a set of norms shaping interpretation. This approach challenges the idea of fixed textual meaning, recognizing that different readers may interpret the same work differently.

Hans Robert Jauss, a key figure in reception theory, emphasized how a reader's background influences their understanding of a text. This perspective highlights the dynamic nature of literary interpretation, acknowledging that a work's meaning can evolve as cultural contexts shift over time.

Reception Theory and Hans Robert Jauss

Key principles of reception theory

Top images from around the web for Key principles of reception theory

• 

  Venn Diagram of 3 Learning Styles | Venn Diagram of three di… | Flickr View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Rhetorical Situation – Essentials for ENGL-121 View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  What is Hermeneutics? Part B | Love in Truth View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Venn Diagram of 3 Learning Styles | Venn Diagram of three di… | Flickr View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Rhetorical Situation – Essentials for ENGL-121 View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

Top images from around the web for Key principles of reception theory

• 

  Venn Diagram of 3 Learning Styles | Venn Diagram of three di… | Flickr View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Rhetorical Situation – Essentials for ENGL-121 View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  What is Hermeneutics? Part B | Love in Truth View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  Venn Diagram of 3 Learning Styles | Venn Diagram of three di… | Flickr View original

  Is this image relevant?

• 

  The Rhetorical Situation – Essentials for ENGL-121 View original

  Is this image relevant?

1 of 3

• Emphasizes active role of reader in interpreting and understanding literary works
  • Readers bring own experiences, knowledge, and expectations to reading process (personal background, education level)
  • Meaning of text constructed through interaction between text and reader, not fixed or inherent (reader's perspective shapes interpretation)
• Introduces concept of "horizon of expectations"
  • Set of cultural, social, and literary norms and conventions shaping reader's understanding and interpretation (genre conventions, historical context)
  • Influenced by factors such as reader's own experiences and knowledge (familiarity with author's other works, exposure to similar themes)
• Challenges idea of single, authoritative interpretation of text
  • Different readers may interpret same text differently based on individual horizons of expectations (cultural background, personal beliefs)
  • Meaning of text can change over time as horizon of expectations shifts (evolving social norms, changing literary trends)

Horizon of expectations concept

• Framework through which reader approaches and interprets text
  • Shaped by reader's previous experiences with literature, knowledge of genre conventions, understanding of historical and cultural context of text's production (familiarity with author's style, awareness of literary movements)
• Influences how reader perceives and evaluates literary work
  • Text conforming to reader's expectations may be more readily accepted and appreciated (traditional love story with happy ending)
  • Text challenging or subverting reader's expectations may be met with resistance or require reevaluation of assumptions (experimental novel with nonlinear narrative)
• Interaction between text and reader's horizon of expectations can lead to new interpretations and understandings
  • As readers encounter new texts and experiences, horizons of expectations may expand or shift, allowing for new perspectives on previously read works (exposure to diverse voices and styles broadens literary horizons)

Changes in textual reception

• Reception of text can evolve as historical and cultural context in which it is read changes
  • As societies and values change, interpretation and valuation of text may also shift (once-controversial work becomes celebrated classic)
  • What was once considered controversial or avant-garde may become canonical or mainstream over time (modernist literature gaining acceptance)
• Changes in dominant literary and cultural norms can affect how text is received
  • Rise of new literary movements or critical theories can lead to reevaluation of older works (feminist criticism shedding new light on classic texts)
  • Shifts in social and political attitudes can influence perception and interpretation of text (changing views on race and gender in literature)
• Reception of text can vary across different cultural contexts
  • Readers from different cultural backgrounds may bring different experiences, values, and expectations to interpretation (Eastern vs Western literary traditions)
  • Cultural differences can lead to divergent or even conflicting interpretations of same work (varying reactions to religious themes in literature)

Significance of reception theory

• Highlights importance of considering reader's role in creating meaning
  • Challenges idea of single, fixed meaning inherent in text itself (multiple valid interpretations possible)
  • Emphasizes dynamic nature of literary interpretation and ways meaning is constructed through interaction between text and reader (reader as co-creator of meaning)
• Provides framework for understanding how text's meaning and significance can change over time
  • Allows for study of how work's reception is influenced by historical and cultural context in which it is read (changing attitudes towards race, gender, sexuality)
  • Highlights ways interpretation and valuation of literature are shaped by broader social and cultural forces (political climate, economic conditions)
• Considering reception of text deepens understanding of its place within larger literary and cultural tradition
  • Encourages consideration of how work is situated within network of other texts, readers, and contexts (intertextuality, literary influence)
  • Helps recognize ways literature both reflects and shapes values and concerns of societies in which it is produced and consumed (literature as cultural artifact and agent of change)