Give and Take Relationship (prompt 4)

The relationship between the reader and writer is probably the most important aspect to consider when reading a novel. When a writer sits down to create a story, it doesn’t matter what it is they write if the audience does not find a connection to more than the words on the page. When two or three or twenty people read the same book, no one will really be reading the same story, because even though they are reading the same words, everyone will have a different personal connection. . Authors create stories in such a way that there can be a multitude of hidden meanings and literary devices that guide the story, but the amazing part about that is the author doesn’t completely  dictate what a reader will take away from what has been written. The book that we buy online or at a store is merely a hefty outline that an author composed; it is really up to us to make the connections that complete the story on a personal level. The reality of reading and writing is that it is a give and take relationship; authors give us a blissful and engaging story, but once the material has been passed on to readers, the outcome of the story of how the story is received is out of the author’s hands and it is up to us to fully and deeply uncover the meanings the author has left. Sometimes, authors allow their work to craft itself in a way that the true meaning can be somewhat subjective. Readers are tasked with accepting the “creative intelligence” of the author and finding  something within the text that is applicable or significant in their own lives. No two people are going to have the same experience with a book, because every person will find a different connection between an aspect of the book and an aspect of their life.

Comments

  1. Mrs. MacJuly 17, 2017 at 3:50 AM

    I do agree that a great writer and a great text leave enough room for multiple even competing interpretations; however, I don't think a text can mean just anything because a person says it does. We will read an interesting piece about poetry that touches on this very idea. While I don't believe there is ever just one meaning, I do think there are ranges of meaning. And then of course, you get into that slippery idea of "authorial intent." This is might point out one of the weaknesses of "New Criticism" which is the literary theory we apply and that the AP Exam requires. I think having a sense of context--historical, social, biographical, and archetypal--serve for a much deeper reading experience.
    Mrs. Mac

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  2. UnknownJuly 25, 2017 at 12:17 PM

    I think you're on to something when you say that several people who read a book can have many different perspectives concerning what the book is really about. realistically speaking, what the writer meant originally is important, but it comes second to the importance of the variety of messages that someone can take in the distant future. Some stories have a central theme of poverty, like grapes of wrath, but that doesn't exclude the possibility that it can help a reader learn something about friendship and family by reading the very same story.

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  3. UnknownJuly 28, 2017 at 1:17 PM

    Katie,
    I must agree with you when you say “no one will really be reading the same story, because even though they are reading the same words, everyone will have a different personal connection.” Readers experience different things in life, so whatever they read the try relating to. The give and take relationship of reading and writing is dependent, but I believe it is up to the writer to help create the story and for the reader to interpret their story. Like a well-oiled machine, when the reader and writer have a blissful connection, everything runs smoothly. If the story is not “well oiled,” the reader can become uninterested in the story, which is the last thing a writer wants.

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