Wolfgang Iser, a significant figure in literary topics, explains a concept regarding the interaction between text and reader: the transmission of meaning occurs in two corresponding ways.
The reader takes meaning from the text in the first form of transmission. The reader gets a sense of the text’s message by the language, structure, and stylistic decisions used. The reader’s comprehension and interpretation of the text are shaped by each word and story device. Writers create worlds in their books that entice readers to read through stories, consider issues, and identify with characters. On the other hand, this message prepares the reader for active participation.
The second mode involves the reader’s response to the text. As they read, readers apply their own experiences, viewpoints, and feelings to the material, allowing them to interpret it subjectively. This active engagement shapes the reader’s perception and understanding of the text, adding a variety of viewpoints to the interpretive landscape. The prior knowledge and perspectives of each reader add to the text’s changing meaning.
Meaning develops as a sophisticated spinning of literary components and reader interpretations as a result of this constantly changing relationship. It recognizes the variety of meanings that might emerge from a single text and goes beyond the bounds of the intention of the writer. Iser’s approach highlights the reader’s agency in creating meaning, emphasizing the literature’s transformative potential and limitless exploration opportunities.
Reading becomes more dynamic when one considers the two-way meaning transmission between text and reader, as proposed by Wolfgang Iser. We may appreciate the depth of the reading experience even more when we acknowledge that interpretation is a collaborative process.