PrepTest 116 - Section 1 - Passage 3 - Question 17

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Reader-response theory, a type of literary theory that arose in reaction to formalist literary criticism, has endeavored to shift the emphasis in the interpretation of literature from the text itself to the contributions of readers to the meaning of a text. ███

Reader-response theory · Emphasizes what readers bring to meaning of a literary work

Proponents of reader-response theory · Text alone doesn't have meaning

It gets meaning from what readers bring to the text (assumptions, ways of reading). This makes multiple interpretations of a text likely.

Formalists · Focus on the text alone

Reader-response theory leads to fragmented views of a text.

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Author's perspective · Formalists' view is too narrow

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Formalists' argument · Formalism is objective

Reader-response theory has no standards and leads to multiple meanings of a text. Authors in fact intend one meaning and critics should try to find it.

Author's critique · Literary works can have multiple meanings

Meanings are created by interaction between texts and readers.

Benefit of reader-response theory · Emphasizing readers can uncover new meanings of a work

We've always had multiple interpretations of important works.

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Concession / Benefit · Can lead to unfair interpretations, but also legitimate new interpretations

Passage Style

Critique or debate

17.

The passage states that reader-response ██████ ███████████ █████ ███ ██ ███ ██████████

a wide range ██ ████████████ ██ █████ ██ ██████████

This is stated in P3. The passage explicitly states that the reader-response theory legitimizes a wide range of perspectives on works of literature.

96%

contemporary ideology as █ █████ ███ █████████

Unsupported. This is a weakness of some critics’ textual interpretations, which the author contrasts by highlighting legitimate insights.

encoding the meaning ██ █ ████████ ████ ██ █████ ███ ███████

Unsupported. This is something that authors do when they write literary works, not something that the reader-response theory legitimizes.

finding the meaning ██ █ ████ ██ ███ ████ █████

Unsupported. This is actually an aspect of formalism.

belief that an ████████ ████████ ███████ ██ █ ████ ██ ████████████

Unsupported. This is an aspect of formalism, not the reader-response theory.

PrepTest 116 - Section 1 - Passage 3 - Question 17

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