English

ERIC ED359502: Bakhtin as a Theory of Reading. Technical Report No. 579.

This paper examines the work of Russian literary critic M. M. Bakhtin as a theory of reading. Focusing on two critical essays, "Discourse in the Novel" and "The Problem of Speech Genres," the paper demonstrates how Bakhtin addresses the three elements of a reading theory--language, representation, and interpretation. Next, the paper compares Bakhtin's theory of reading to those theories of reading put forth by four prominent reader-response critics, Louise Rosenblatt, Stanley Fish, John Swales, and Mary Louise Pratt. The paper concludes with a discussion of the directions in which this analysis of Bakhtin's ideas might lead in reformulating current thinking about reading. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/RS)

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