Appleman
Chapter Three
The Lens of Reader Response: The promis and Peril of Response-Based Pedagogy

Reader Response is a theory that I was very unfamiliar with. I have a hard time picturing myself using this theory in my classroom. I do feel that reader response is excellent when it comes to poetry because with poetry, yes, there is importance with true meaning, history, context, form and poet; however, I feel as though the poem is more yours. The poet wrote it for you to interpret how you wish, and digest whatever beautiful images and lines they produce. At the beginning of the chapter, Appleman suggests a fruitful way to teach reader centered response: “Teaching it as one of a variety of theoretical approaches rather than as the only possible approach” (26). This statement, after reading the chapter, stuck with me. What’s nice about this theory is that it does put the student at the center of the activity, and allows the student to create meaning and engage in text that, perhaps, wouldn’t be possible without it.
Personally, I can’t recall using reader response while being taught literature. I can recall using it for personal readings such as Catcher in the Rye and The Bell Jar. I’m curious if because of the way I have been instructed hindered my opinion on the theory. Anyways, I agree with Rachel that “…something limiting about that position, something that might trivialize the importance of the real differences that exist between the students’ world and the world of the text. … Is the purpose of studying literature only to clarify out own existence and underscore our unique personal attributes?” (28). Call me old fashioned, but I do think that style, author, and history are extremely important to note while reading literature. I feel that knowing this and considering these facts while reading makes a person more intelligent and well rounded, also gains an appreciation for history. Again, I can’t help but think this is just the English major in me.
I do recall reading To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Hobbit, and The Great Gatsby in high school (Confessions of a True Believer.) I don’t remember any reader response, and I still gained a huge amount of respect for the writers and content. I was never taught different literary theories in high school though. After reading Reader Response and Native Son, I started to gain hope for this theory. I think that Martha has it right on on how to teach this theory by integrating others that are important to understand when it comes to literature.