Revisiting Reader Response Theory

Abstract

The role of readers in literary studies was not prominently recognized and actualized in the conventional practice. The focus was on the writer both as the creator of literary texts and interpreter of literary texts. The writer was the source of creative writing and its meaning. The reader was totally sidelined and was at the receiving end throughout the Middle Ages. It was not until the first half of the modern period that the reader’s role started getting attention. The reader-oriented criticism gained currency in Europe and America during 1970s. However, it is significant to note that it had its origins in antiquity and the ancient masters had attended upon the role of readers with varying emphasis. The present paper is an attempt to explain the resurgence of interest in the role of readers in modern theoretical parlance and the readers’ prominence in meaning making process. It illustrates the trajectory of readers’ role in literary studies and shows how readers became increasingly important in the consideration of literary texts.