Abstract
Typically, Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason has been discussed in the context of epistemology, the study of human knowing. However, one aspect or implication that scholars seem to have missed is the relevance that Kant’s theory has for the field of literary criticism; in particular, its relation to the “Reader-Response” theory.In this paper, we will reexamine the basic claims of the Reader-Response and ask whether one may draw a connection between the assertions of Immanuel Kant – that truth is construed by the observer – and of proponents of the Reader-Response theory. As it is commonly accepted, the Reader-Response proponents believe that the reader of a given text should receive a more prominent role than he or she is given in the traditional schools of literary criticism. That is, “instead of asking ‘what does this sentence mean?’ one should ask ‘what does this sentence do?’ “ (R. Williams, Literary Meaning). In other words, as soon as a reader approaches the text, he or she “compromises” its meaning by the mere fact of experiencing it. Accordingly, we will want to examine the link between Kantian thinking and the premises that operate behind the logic of the Reader-Response arguments. Without attempting to acknowledge a direct influence of Kantian logic on the Reader-Response theory, we will show that Kant’s epistemology did influence the wider context of philosophy, science and literature and that this influence must be taken into account. We will also want to ask whether criticism of Kantian epistemology may be used against the Reader-Response logic. We will consider the arguments of several of the more important authors who have written on this subject, but will state a more personal, and perhaps controversial, understanding of the issue. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n7p519
Highlights
Ever since Kant wrote the Critique of Pure Reason, literary critics began to wonder whether human reason and the imagination were more successful in the area of literature than in sciences or philosophy
Reader-Response criticism argues along the lines of Kantian epistemology, denying the reader the ability to access the “objective truth/meaning” of the text
It changes the question “what does this text mean?” to “what does this text do?” In this paper we want to examine some of the claims of Kantian epistemology in relation to the worldview of the Reader-Response criticism, a movement that has applied a similar mode of reasoning when dealing with the interpretation of literary texts
Summary
Ever since Kant wrote the Critique of Pure Reason, literary critics began to wonder whether human reason and the imagination were more successful in the area of literature than in sciences or philosophy. He becomes a “constructor” or reality, one whose mind transforms the raw data from “out there” into convenient appearances that can be personally understood and analyzed This shift from passive observation to active reconstruction means that there exists no such “given truth” – something that would bypass the human cognitive powers and appear to the human mind as it is “in itself.”. Reader-Response criticism argues along the lines of Kantian epistemology, denying the reader the ability to access the “objective truth/meaning” of the text. It changes the question “what does this text mean?” to “what does this text do?” In this paper we want to examine some of the claims of Kantian epistemology in relation to the worldview of the Reader-Response criticism, a movement that has applied a similar mode of reasoning when dealing with the interpretation of literary texts. Reader-Response theory has been the modern, literary embodiment and expression of the Kantian revolution in philosophy
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