“Reader Response Theory and the Problem of Meaning” by Robert E. Probst: Summary and Critique

1. Reconceiving Literary Experience

• Focus on the Transaction Between Reader and Text: Probst emphasizes Louise Rosenblatt’s theory, which argues that literature exists not within the text itself, but in the interaction between the reader and the text. This “transaction” produces the literary experience.
• Text as Evocative, Not Prescriptive: The text does not dictate meaning but evokes personal responses, memories, and associations in the reader, resulting in an individualized experience of the text. “Meaning…is not resident in the text…it lies in the mind of the reader.”

2. Relinquishing Old Goals and Embracing Uncertainty

• Challenge of Abandoning Uniformity in Interpretation: Teachers are urged to abandon the pursuit of a single correct interpretation. Instead, they should acknowledge that meaning is variable and differs from reader to reader, creating pedagogical challenges as “meaning is shaped through the complex act of reading.”
• Accepting the Variability of Meaning: The teacher must become comfortable with the idea that each reader will derive unique meanings from the same text. This can feel like “building on shifting sands” since there’s no definitive answer or meaning.

3. Respecting the Unique Reader

• Valuing Individual Interpretations: The literary experience is personal, and each student’s interpretation, shaped by their own history, associations, and emotional state, must be respected. “The teacher…is in no position to do the students’ reading for them.”
• Rejecting the Privilege of One Reading: Probst cautions against privileging the teacher’s interpretation over students’ responses. Instead, students should be encouraged to create their own meaning, making literature a personal and reflective experience.

4. Pursuing Individual Responses

• Discussion and Exploration of Meaning: Probst suggests engaging students in reflective discussions about their personal experiences with the text, encouraging them to relate literature to their own lives. This mirrors Rosenblatt’s emphasis on the personal nature of reading, where “students must be invited to create the texts, to bring them to bear upon their own history.”
• Literature as an Invitation to Dialogue: Rather than teaching literature as a static set of meanings to be extracted, teachers should foster an environment where students can question, explore, and form tentative conclusions about texts, holding them open for revision as new ideas arise.

5. Redefining Curriculum and Text Selection

• Choosing Texts for Reader Engagement: Probst advocates for selecting texts that are appropriate for students’ maturity and capable of evoking a meaningful response. This requires reconsidering the literary canon and choosing works that align with students’ developmental stages and personal concerns. “If we considered…its potential for awakening response,” more accessible works might replace traditional texts like Paradise Lost.
• Adolescent Development and Literary Themes: He suggests correlating adolescent concerns with major literary themes, creating a curriculum that engages students with literature through themes that resonate with their experiences, such as love, autonomy, and identity.

6. Reshaping Instructional Practices

• Moving Beyond Historical and Genre-Based Organization: Probst criticizes the traditional curriculum, which often emphasizes historical or genre-based structures, arguing that such methods ignore the transactional nature of reading. Instead, he encourages organizing curricula in ways that prioritize students’ interactions with texts over literary history or genre conventions.

1. Challenge to New Criticism

• Contribution: Probst’s work critiques New Criticism, a literary theory that dominated much of 20th-century literary studies, which emphasized the objective meaning of the text, independent of the reader’s engagement. New Criticism advocates for a close reading of the text, where meaning is seen as residing within the text itself, not influenced by the reader’s subjectivity.
• Reference: The article reflects on the earlier dominance of New Criticism in medical humanities, where literature was taught with a focus on identifying “Truths embedded in the text itself” (p. 45). Probst shifts the focus from text-centered analysis to reader-centered meaning-making, challenging the idea that texts possess a fixed meaning that can be uncovered by literary analysis alone.

2. Development of Reader-Response Theory

• Contribution: Probst is a strong advocate for Reader-Response Theory, which emphasizes that the meaning of a text is co-created by the reader and the text. The theory acknowledges that readers bring their own experiences, beliefs, and emotions to the act of reading, which influences their interpretation of the text.
• Reference: The article outlines how the reader’s personal and phenomenological engagement with a text is essential for true literary inquiry. It stresses that the interaction between the reader and the text creates a dynamic process of meaning-making (p. 48). Probst draws from Wolfgang Iser, who argued that the text only takes on meaning when it is read, and that the reader’s actions in responding to the text are as important as the text itself (p. 48).

3. Emphasis on Reflexivity in Reading

• Contribution: Probst’s work introduces the concept of reflexivity into literary studies, particularly in medical humanities. He argues that texts should not only be analyzed for their structural or thematic elements but should also provoke readers to reflect on their own values, assumptions, and life experiences. This makes reading a transformative and ethical act, not just an academic exercise.
• Reference: The article mentions that Probst, drawing on Robert Coles, views imaginative literature in medical settings as a tool for ethical reflection. He highlights the importance of students examining their own lives and assumptions through their engagement with literature, not just learning about the “skills of literary analysis” (p. 47).

4. Introduction of Aesthetic and Artistic Dimensions in Reading

• Contribution: Probst’s work contributes to the expansion of aesthetic theory within Reader-Response Theory. He differentiates between the artistic (the structural elements provided by the author, such as plot, characters, and themes) and the aesthetic (the reader’s personal, subjective experience of the text).
• Reference: The article highlights Iser’s differentiation between the artistic dimensions of a text (what the author provides) and the aesthetic dimensions (how the reader engages with and experiences the text) (p. 51). Probst’s emphasis on this interaction expands Reader-Response Theory by highlighting that literary interpretation is a collaborative process between text and reader, both contributing to the creation of meaning.

5. Application to Pedagogy and Medical Humanities

• Contribution: One of Probst’s major contributions is applying Reader-Response Theory to pedagogy, particularly in medical humanities. He advocates for teaching literature in a way that encourages medical students to engage with texts on a personal and reflective level, rather than merely acquiring interpretive skills. This pedagogical approach prioritizes the development of empathy and self-awareness in medical professionals.
• Reference: The article illustrates how Probst’s approach to teaching literature in medical settings involves students using literature to reflect on their own experiences and values as future physicians (p. 52). It also suggests that literary inquiry in these contexts should foster reflexivity, helping students confront difficult questions about human suffering, ethics, and their roles as caregivers.

6. Focus on Gaps and Indeterminacies in Texts

• Contribution: Probst highlights the importance of gaps and indeterminacies in texts, drawing from Iser’s theory. He argues that these ambiguities invite readers to fill in the missing pieces with their own knowledge and experiences, which makes the act of reading an imaginative and personal endeavor.
• Reference: The article discusses how texts like Albert Camus’ “The Plague” are filled with gaps that students must concretize in personal ways, meaning the reader’s interpretation fills in the gaps left by the text (p. 49). This further develops Reader-Response Theory by showing how texts are never complete without the reader’s participation.

7. Dynamic Interaction Between Reader and Text

• Contribution: Probst contributes to the dynamic nature of textual interpretation, reinforcing that a text’s meaning evolves as the reader engages with different perspectives offered within it. This interaction leads to a continual process of discovery, where the reader is “set in motion” alongside the text.
• Reference: The article reflects on how, according to Iser and Probst, the reader passes through various perspectives in the text, setting both the reader and the work “in motion” (p. 51). This illustrates the idea that reading is an active and evolving process, rather than a static act of decoding.