Short note on Readers' Response Theory (RRT)

Readers’ Response Theory (RRT):

According to this theory, readers make the meaning out of the text. There are various RRTs.

i. Transactional RRT

Different readers come up with different acceptable interpretations because the text allows for a range of acceptable meanings.

ii. Affective RRT

Literary text is an event that occurs in time – that comes into being as it read and it affects the reader in the process of reading.

iii. Subjective RRT

In contrast to affective and transactional RRT, subjective RRT believes that there is no literary text beyond the meanings created by readers’ interpretations.

iv. Psychological RRT

According to this theory, the readers’ motives strongly influence how they read. Norman Holland believes that we react to literary text with same psychological responses we bring to events in our daily lives.

v. Social RRT

All readers come to the pre-disposed text to interpret it in a way they represent their interpretative community and whatever interpretative strategies are operating for them at a time, they read according to Stanley Fish.