The Reader, the Text, the Poem: The Transactional Theory of the Literary Work

by Louise M. Rosenblatt

Louise M. Rosenblatt’s award-winning work continues increasingly to be read in a wide range of academic fields—literary criticism, reading theory, aesthetics, composition, rhetoric, speech communication, and education. Her view of the reading transaction as a unique event involving reader and text at a particular time under particular circumstances rules out the dualistic emphasis of other theories on either the reader or the text as separate and static entities. The transactional concept accounts for the importance of factors such as gender, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic context. Essential reading for the specialist, this book is also well suited for courses in criticism, critical theory, rhetoric, and aesthetics. Starting from the same nonfoundationalist premises, Rosenblatt avoids the extreme relativism of postmodern theories derived mainly from Continental sources. A deep understanding of the pragmatism of Dewey, James, and Peirce and of key issues in the social sciences is the basis for a view of language and the reading process that recognizes the potentialities for alternative interpretations and at the same time provides a rationale for the responsible reading of texts. The book has been praised for its lucid explanation of the multidimensional character of the reading process—evoking, interpreting, and evaluating the work. The nonliterary (efferent) and the literary (aesthetic) are shown not to be opposites but to represent a continuum of reading behaviors. The author amply illustrates her theoretical points with interpretations of varied texts. The epilogue carries further her critique of rival contemporary theories.

Genres: Education, Literary Criticism, Academic, Nonfiction, Literature, Teaching, Theory

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

Reviews

[Eden Bowditch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louise Rosenblatt, who taught at NYU, was a brilliant yet overlooked literary theorist in discipline that is filled with famous (to a small corner of academia) men whose work still found in syllabi everywhere. Her 'transactional theory' that is often conflated with reception theory is compelling and truly important. More students of philosophy of literature should be reading her work. Anyone interested in very readable, interesting, literary theory and how reading works and why it is ethically important will enjoy this book. She wrote in English and in French.

[J. Alfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the freedom of scope an entire book affords, Rosenblatt is able to spell out her views on the "transactional theory" of reading in depth and with considerable charm. It is unmistakably a polemical work, but that doesn't stop Rosenblatt from showing off an admirable knowledge of a vast array of literature, while at the same time commenting on a wealth of ongoing disputes in the critical communities.
Her main points are basically: 1. The reader is as much a part of the reading experience as the text, and that all critical stances which try to ignore this fact are misrepresenting facets of the reading act. 2. Not all responses to texts are equal: those that pay more attention to the nuances of texts and account more comprehensively for more aspects of the felt experiance of the reader are better responses. 3. This means that the teacher ought to encourage students to try out experiencing texts on their own, even though they aren't pros; the same way that an amateur pianist need not give up the art because he or she will never perform at Carnegie Hall. She repeats at a number of instances that there is no adequate substitute for an individual reader experiancing a text for him or herself; "feeling it on his pulses," as she puts it. I have a ton of respect for this theory.

[Crystal Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially, Rosenblatt mentions the transactional theory of reading from the beginning to the end. Don't waste your time and read the entire book. The first 3 chapters are all you need....I do agree that reading is an active process, but it did not seem different from what many other people have already said and done.

[Kathrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains everything I believe about reading but never knew.

[Maddy Hurlbut · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.Reader response theory and encouraging response
•Louise Rosenblatt
oThere is a continuum of stances
oBooks are somewhere in between Efferent (instruction manual)  Aesthetic (poetry)
▪Take the correct stance depending on where it is on the continuum
•Combines the efforts of the reader and the text in a reciprocal transaction
•Efferent vs aesthetic
•The response is what is important. Without a response, nothing will stick. With response comes connections. They won’t remember what they are reading if connections are never made. Comprehension alone is not enough.
•Paddle is the story, the ball is the response to the story, but they are not separate from each other, they are connected
•Salient points
oThe reader is active
oReciprocal Transaction (text and reader each give something)
oThe response is going to be slightly different from other people’s responses because of individual experiences
oThe reader must take different stances according to the text they are reading (efferent and aesthetic)

[Siriann]

(Masteroppgåve)

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the first three chapters of this one as supplement to Rosenblatt's earlier and superior work, Lit as Exploration.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed not only Rosenblatt's ideas but her writing of them. She generally takes a generous time to completely articulate where she's going but does so without feeling nit-picky or tedious if that makes sense. Her transactional theory of the interchange between the reader and the text is really quite lovely and privileges the aesthetic stance over the more typical efferent, which I think will help promote reading for enjoyment that often leads to more introspection into the book rather than the current system of teaching books that focuses on literary criticism to the extent of preventing an aesthetic (and often pleasurable) experience with the book.

[Catie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my the way I looked at literature forever.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosenblatt's transactional theory of the literary work has become the foundational piece for my dissertation. I wish she could be my case to study!

See notes.

UNC PN 45.R587 1994

[Leigh Cross · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finally gave up. Louise and I were just not meant to be.

[Zara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting theories about the relationship between reader, text, author, and "poem," but ultimately a little redundant and hard to get through.

[Teresa Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like a mystery but when one figures it out its an ah ha moment. Such as how one reads diffrently when readig in an emergency or just doing the reading stance: efferent aesthetic reading.

[Noora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aiheeltaan ihan mielenkiintoinen tenttikirja, mutta kielen takia osa jutuista meni yli hilseen, eikä kaikkeen todellakaan jaksanut keskittyä.

[Windy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last chapter drags a bit (or a lot), but the first half of this book is absolutely masterful. A must-read for English teachers.