MBR: Reading Interpretation as a Function of Identity

Reading

Holland, Norman N. "Reading and Identity: a Psychoanalytic Revolution." Twentieth Century Literary Theory: a Reader. Ed. K. M. Newton. London: Macmillan, 1997. 204-209.

Reason for reading: After our group discussion last week it was important to discern the idea that a poem, book or story could have multiple meanings and that interpretation was based on the readers emotional or experiential connection to the text. Rosenblatt was key for me, in being able to better understand writers such as Poe, Shakespeare, Frost and others from a broader perspective and really interact with the text and better share with my students. I believe that we do look at text through the lens of our identity. However, there is more involved within the interaction as noted by Iser, Poulet  and Fish.

Note: This article was of particular interest since it was referenced in Tomkins. The notion of interpretation as a relationship to identity or better noted as a “function of identity”. Holland in this article uses a lot of Freudian terminology to support his theories and be critical of others in the field of reader-response theory.

Holland, Norman N. "Reading and Identity: a Psychoanalytic Revolution." Twentieth Century Literary Theory: a Reader. Ed. K. M. Newton. London: Macmillan, 1997. 204-209.


Also important to note that I am reading Ernest Hemingway's Under Kilimanjaro and Carver a Life of Poems by Marilyn Nelson for entertainment. (It's about time)