Exploring the Horizons of the Literature Classroom – Reader Response, Reception Theories and Classroom Discourse

Abstract

This case study focuses on the pedagogical significance of the ‘theory of reception’ [Jauss (1982a) Theory & History of Literature, 2, 3–45; Jauss (1982b) Theory and History of Literature, Vol. 68. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press] in the teaching of literature in junior high and high school classrooms. Two lessons were video-recorded and their teachers were interviewed. It analyzes the encounter between the readers' ‘horizons of expectations’ and the ‘horizons of the text’ in authentic classroom discourse. The discourse analysis suggests a third type of ‘horizons of expectations’ typical for educational settings which might be called ‘horizons of pedagogical expectations’. The results show the influence of students' prior knowledge over the text as a source of information about the text and exposes the teacher's pedagogical dilemma concerning appropriate methods of entering the text's historical and/or remote world. The findings of the study also suggest that Jauss' reception theory can help teachers steer their lessons, making them aware of the importance of the dialogic process between different historical horizons, and helping them deal with their students' responses more effectively.