READER RESPONSE CRITICISM

 READER RESPONSE CRITICISM:

In traditional criticism, while analyzing a text, the prime focus is on The Author, his background, the Content in the text, and the Form of the genre. Who is the author? What is/was his background? What does the author want to convey through the text? What is the theme/motif/meaning/message of the text? What is the form of the literary work of art – is it epic? Lyric? Sonnet? Play? Novel? Or anything else? - All are parts of Traditional Criticism.

Author, Content, and Form- these trios are rejected in Reader-Response Criticism and the long-awaited Reader found a prior place in analyzing the text. A reader – his response to the text, his experiences with the text, his dos, and don’ts, his acceptance and rejection, his literary verdicts – all are part of Reader Response Criticism. No need to think about who was Shakespeare? Just read his plays and respond with what you feel about them. Enjoy – You are more important than Shakespeare's A Gift from Reader Response Theory.

Thanks.