Transactional theory, as it applies to literary criticism and the teaching of literature. Applying the readerresponse theory to literary texts in. Rosenblatt argues that the term interaction conjures a picture of separate objects encountering one another but remaining essentially unchanged, like billiard balls bouncing off one another, and thus is an inadequate and misleading label for the mutually shaping exchange between reader. Pdf rosenblatts transactional theory and its implementation in. Transactional reader response theory by nasrullah mambrol on october 28, 2016 0. Rosenblatts transactional theory moves literacy instruction away from. Essential reading for the specialist, this book is also well suited for courses in criticism, critical theory, rhetoric, and aesthetics. Louise rosenblatts literature as exploration has influenced literary theorists and teachers of literature at all levels. Although published over 30 years ago, it is still relevant providing insights about how readers interpret text. Louise rosenblatt 110 explains that readers approach the work in ways that can be viewed as aesthetic or efferent. While reading aesthetically, a reader is focused on the very personal experience of the reading itself. The main argument of readerresponse theory is that readers, as much as the text, play an active role in a reading experience rosenblatt, 1994.
Rosenblatts 1978 transactional theory describes the relationship between the reader and the text. The transactional theory of the literary work by louise rosenblatt 1978 was a groundbreaking theory of reader response. Reading, readers and english every reading act is an event, or a transaction involving a particular reader and a particular pat tern of signs, a text, and occurring at a particular time in a particular context. How to use the transactional theory to teach reading. Literature as exploration, rosenblatt reminds us that the reader plays a vital role in the life of any piece of literature. Louise rosenblatt, pioneer in reading theory and the. The origins of this theory are in the field of literary criticism from the pioneering work in the 1930s of the literary theorist, louise rosenblatt. Transactional literary theory centers on the readers contribution in the twoway relationship with the literary text, lifting the reader to a prominent, essential position along with the author and the text. In literature as exploration, rosenblatt presents her unique theory of literature and focuses on the immense, often untapped, potential for the study and teaching of literature in a democratic society. Instead of two fixed entities acting on one another, the reader and the text are two aspects of a dynamic situation. According to sumara, rosenblatts understanding of the reading of a work of literature as convergence of reader and text was so antithetical to the new criticism of the day that it remained largely ignored by literary and curriculum theorists until its reprinting in 1968 27.
Reader response theoryrosenblatt by sara kraatz on prezi. Towards a transactional theory of reading sage journals. The transactional theory of reading and writing louise m. This will provide the basis for clarifying resemblances and differences between aesthetic and nonaesthetic reading processes. The tendency to think of a literary work as an object or entity existing apart from author and reader has been the greatest stumbling block in literary criticism and the teaching of literature. Transactional theory an overview sciencedirect topics. Rosenblatt terms such as the reader are somewhat misleading, though convenient. Instead, consider the readers role in comprehending the authors writing. Transactional theory in the teaching of literature. This theory rejects the structuralist view that meaning resides solely in the text. The transactional theory of the literary work 1978. The task assigned to me in this seminar on reading theory grows out of my interest in the interpretation of literary works of art.
The question is why the reader is reading and what the reader aims to get out of the reading. There is no such thing as a generic reader or a generic literary work. A selection of her publications follows the interview. An independent outgrowth of her work with the commission was the writing of her literature as exploration first pub. Pdf the transactional theory signifies that both the reader and the text play. Transactional theory is a critical approach to interpreting literature in which each reader has a unique experience with the text. Neither contemporary reading theory nor literary theory has done justice to this question. Parallels between the gaming experience and rosenblatts reader response theory. In the 1970s, educational researcher louise rosenblatt revolutionized reading instruction with that theory. Teachers who teach reading are doing more than teaching decoding skills.
The transactional theory of the literary work 1978, revised paperback edition 1994 ex presses her theoretical vision as does the transactional the ory of reading and writing 1994. Transactional reader response theory literary theory and. Materials drawn from a study by rosenblatt 1964 of the. Selected essays, was published by heinemann on feb. Sara kraatz lbst 12520 resources rosenblatt and her theory louise rosenblatts influential 1938 work literature as exploration rosenblatt believed that the reading of any work of literature is, of necessity, an individual and unique. The transactional theory of the literary work revised paperback edition. Her other widely studied work is the reader, the text, the poem. The transactional theory signifies that both the reader and the text play important roles in the formation of meaning. Eric ed209667 the transactional theory of the literary. Rosenblatt argues that the term interaction conjures a picture of separate objects encountering one another but remaining essentially. How to use the transactional theory to teach reading synonym. Unrau, editors, international reading association, article 48, 6398. She was professor of education at new york university from. Doctor of philosophy curriculum and instruction, may 20, 145 pp.
Rosenblatts combined training in literature, anthropology, and the other social sci ences led, in 1935, to her appointment to the commission on human relations of the progressive education association. The transactional theory of reading and writing academic. When rosenblatt began teaching english literature at barnard, she developed an intense interest in each readers unique response to a given text. Home linguistics transactional reader response theory.
The transactional model sameroff and chandler, 1974 is a useful framework with which to view the child and family in this highly dynamic period of development. The transactional theory of the literary work by louise m. 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. Literature as exploration by louise rosenblatt 1938 rosenblatt pioneered readerresponse theory with this study, in which she considers how the readers response. Transactional theory, as it applies to literary criticism and the teaching of literature, suggests a reciprocal, mutually defining relationship rosenblatt, 1986 between the reader and the literary text. For years, rosenblatt 1982 extolled the potentialities of. Recontextualizing louise rosenblatts transactional theory for the.
In recapitulating my transactional theory, i am aware that in the past decade an atmosphere favorable to this point of. This attractive trade paperback edition features a new foreword by wayne booth, a new preface and retrospective chapter by the author, and an updated list of suggested readings. In 1978, her second book, the reader, the text, the poem, refined and augmented the. Some implications may emerge for the dynamics of the reading process in general.
Rosenblatt believed that comprehension resulted from the transaction between the reader and the written word. Reader response theory suggests that literature cannot be considered in isolation from. Rosenblatts transactional theory of literacy and the transfer of readingwriting knowledge in 1983 and 1985, louise rosenblatt was invited to speak on the readingwriting connection at, respectively, the modern languages association and the conference on college composition. The model explains various phenomena and facilitates informed clinical supervision of childrens behavior and development from birth to age 2 years.
Rosenblatts presence in the new literacies research l ouise rosenblatt 1978 established the transactional theory that moves literacy instruction away from prescribed meanings established by author, teacher, or expert into more of an experience with literature. It is unmistakably a polemical work, but that doesnt stop rosenblatt from showing off an admirable knowledge of a vast array of literature, while at the same time commenting. Literature as exploration 5th edition modern language. Her classic literature as explorationnow in its fifth editionintroduced the transactional theory of reading and pioneered a revolution that continues today in classrooms where reading and literature are taught she maintains that both the reader and the text are. Rosenblatts presence in the new literacies research. Literary work 1978, revised paperback edition 1994 ex. Parallels between the gaming experience and rosenblatts. Literary texts initiate performances of significance rather than formulating. Meaning is produced by continuous transaction between the reader and the text, employing the meaning potential of the text and the readers experiential reservoir. Is the text established primarily to help readers gain information with as little reading possible, or is the site established in order. The transactional theory of the literary work 1978, in. The transactional theory of reading was developed by louise michelle. Often associated with the work of louise rosenblatt, who formulated many of its premises, transactional readerresponse theory analyzes the transaction between text and reader.
Louise rosenblatts transactional theory is one theoretical lens that can be called upon when viewing the readers response to various new literacies. I began louise rosenblatt is professor emerita of english education at new york university. Rosenblatt implication for research assessment should be based on clearly articulated criteria as to signs of growing maturity in handling personal response, relating to the evoked text, and use of personal and intertextual experience visvis the response of others. Transactional theory and the study of multicultural literature. Rosenblatt doesnt reject the importance of the text in favor of. Rosenblatt s central text is literature as exploration 1938, which went through five editions and remains in print. Louise rosenblatt coined the term and is considered to be part of the reader response tradition in literary criticism.
Towards a transactional theory of reading louise m. Louise rosenblatt has served the profession in other ways as well. The transactional theory of the literary work southern illinois university, 1978, 1994 and. Rosenblatt 2005 chose the term aesthetic within her landmark term, the aesthetic stance, because of the words greek roots of. Theory, criticism, pedagogy by chris anderson southern illinois university press, 1989. Rosenblatts transactional theory of reading places emphasis on the relation between reader and text while constructing meaning. To discuss the developments in writing theory and critical theory in the 80s, i find i must sketch the decadeslong perspective from which i view them.
The world of literacy has expanded alongside technology, and new literacies are being. Pdf transactional reader response and foregrounding. No one has contributed more to our understanding of the relationship between readers and texts than louise rosenblatt. See part one for discussion of the problem of the relative validity of different interpretations. They try to engage students in transaction with literature about unfamiliar cultures and encourage them to reflect on their attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs on cultures different from their own. The authors philosophy of literature is frequently cited as the first presentation of readerresponse theory, but she differs from her. To apply transactional theory, teachers must show students how to use what they read and what they know to build meaning. In the 1969 edition of literature as exploration, rosenblatt used dewey and bentleys term, transaction, rather than interaction to describe what happens when a reader encounters a text and the transactional theory of reader response was born. Many of her impactful articles were gathered in making meaning with texts. Transactional model an overview sciencedirect topics. Rosenblatt the transactional theory 1 abstract in the light of the posteinsteinian scientific paradigm and peircean semiotics, reading and writing are seen as always involving individuals, with their particular linguisticexperiential resources, in particular transactions with particular environments or contexts.
Louise rosenblatt from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Explaining her theory in terms of stances or purposes that readers take when approaching texts, she discussed the aesthetic and efferent stances. Rosenblatts awardwinning work continues increasingly to be read in a wide range of academic fieldsliterary criticism, reading theory, aesthetics, composition, rhetoric, speech communication, and education. Starting from the same nonfoundationalist premises. Louise rosenblatt literary and critical theory oxford. April sanders, in emotions, technology, and digital games, 2016. Rosenblatts reader response theory has a long history of being connected. Theoretical models and processess of reading, 5th edition, robert b. One of my favorite theorists is louise rosenblatt, who wrote that text is just ink on a page until the reader comes along and gives it life.