Gang Reading of the Novel: Social Organization of Interpretation مقاله

خلاصه ماشینی:

The analysis of published materials (such as "book reviews" or critical analyses) and the comparison of these professional reports with the "ordinary and non-professional" reading of the author of the article itself reveals how the gender and historical background of readers, as well as their purposes for reading, affect the construction of the novel's content for them. The characteristics of these three readings are summarized in the table below: — Three readings of 'A Quite Progressive Bourgeois World' Type of Reading Initial "Liberal" Reading: Initial reviewers — 10 men, one woman, and three unknown reviewers, plus one subsequent male academic Subsequent readings: Anti-racist — 3 out of 4 academics Feminist reading: one female academic literary specialist, plus one non-professional female reader: namely, myself Thematic focus Human tragedy in the context of South Africa The conflict between European liberal humanism and the emerging militancy of blacks Specific opportunities and limitations that contemporary fighting women have in comparison to men Attitude toward the narrator Liz is a "strange" and "complex" narrator Liz is the central character but without attention to the details of her life Liz is interesting for herself, and attention is paid to her situation as a woman The differences existing in these readings stem from several sources. The discussion presented in this article shows that although the conventions common in interpretation cause readings that relate novels to established traditions, but groups of readers who have different experiences can create new interpretive frameworks.