Anti-essentialism and Reception Studies in Defense of the Text  

Oleh:

Fetveit, Arild

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: International Journal of Cultural Studies vol. 4 no. 2 (Jun. 2001), page 173–199.
Topik: film; Fish; interpretation; philosophy; postmodernism; reception theory; Rorty; spectator; television audience; text
Fulltext: 173IJCS42.pdf (117.71KB)

Isi artikel

This article argues that the proliferation of reception studies, together with a radical undermining of the text, has been nourished by a misconceived anti-essentialism. The article warns against overrating the freedom of the reader and against thinking that it is more in line with antiessentialist notions to describe how texts and other objects are perceived, rather than describing their characteristics. Following a brief historical sketch of anti-essentialism and how it came to nurture a turn towards the reader, the article moves on to addressing an interchange between Umberto Eco and Richard Rorty on 'interpretation and overinterpretation'. Rorty, in part, seems to hold on to the essentialist ontology that he claims to be fighting – a move that parallels that taken by some reception scholars. Stanley Fish formulates an anti-essentialist position, but in a way that invites further misconceptions. Once we get rid of the misconceived anti-essentialism, we can achieve a more balanced and productive relationship between reception studies and textual criticism.

Opini Anda

Klik untuk menuliskan opini Anda tentang koleksi ini!

Kembali