Lecture Notes: Reader Response Criticism and Modern Interpretation Methods

Reader Response Criticism

• Key Idea: The reader is central to the creation of meaning in a text.
• Meaning Creation: Meaning is produced between the text and the reader, not just historically or within the text itself.
• Text as a Mirror: Reflects the reader and vice versa, allowing a dialogue between text and reader.
• Historical Context: Reader response criticism gained traction in the 1980s but was practiced informally earlier, such as in Bible studies.
• Diversity in Responses:
  • Stanley Fish's Perspective:
    • Early Fish: Emphasized a passive reader role and self-sufficiency of text.
    • Later Fish: Focused on the subjective perception of readers.
  • Volprang Eiser's Mediation: Importance of both text and reader in meaning-making, filling in textual gaps.

Example Text: Luke 5:1-11

• Story Elements:
  • Jesus teaching from Simon's boat.
  • Peter's fishing experience.
  • Peter's response and new vocation as catching people.
• Complex Call Story: Involves teaching, confession, discipleship.
• Reading Questions: Encourages individual interpretation and questions.

Feminist Criticism

• Focus: Emphasizes reading the Bible through women's perspectives, addressing male-centric interpretations.
• Key Concepts:
  • Androcentrism: Texts are often male-centered.
  • Deconstruction: Necessary to uncover gender biases.
• Important Figures:
  • Phyllis Trible: Argues for gender equality in original creation.
  • Mig Bao: Highlights Eve's power of choice.
  • Carol Myers: Views Genesis 2-3 as a wisdom tale, not a fall story.
• Controversies: Addressing patriarchal texts and women's roles in the church.

Modernity vs. Post-Modernity

• Modernity: Emphasizes reason, single truth, and unity.
• Post-Modernity: Emphasizes experience, multiple meanings, and diversity.

Ideological Criticism

• Focus: Critically examines presupposed interpretations, raising awareness of social justice issues.
• Althusser's Definition: Ideology as a representation of individuals' relation to their real conditions.
• Applications: Can be applied to various narratives like the Exodus story, challenging dominant interpretations.

Cultural Criticism

• African-American Perspective: Addresses the politics of omission and representation in biblical texts.
• Translation Issues: Highlight example in Song of Solomon 1:5 regarding "black and beautiful" versus "black but comely."

Conclusion

• Reader-driven interpretations are continuously evolving, with many methods still being developed and refined.