hi pauline! do you know of any texts on the author’s intent vs reader’s interpretation that you could recommend? i’m only really aware of barthes’ death of the author i’m afraid x

antigonick:

I do, oh, I do! Reader-Response Criticism is one of my favourite literary theory; that’s the word you might want to use when looking through your library database and whatnot.

Barthes is a great way to start with it, but here are my recommendations to go further:

Jane P Tompkins, Reader-Response Criticism: From Formalism to Post-Structuralism
Stanley Fish, Is There a Text in this Class?
C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism
David Bleich, Subjective Criticism
Umberto Eco, The Limits of Interpretation
Roland Barthes, The Pleasure of the Text
Michel Foucault, What is an Author?

 I hope this helps!

theonion:

BILLINGS, MO—Finding himself increasingly uncertain as to the purpose of his substantial cache of military-grade firearms, Billings resident Greg Carnes admitted Tuesday that he was unable to remember whether the 20 rifles he’d stockpiled were meant to aid in armed rebellion against the government or prevent the same. “I’m certain I got these guns for a patriotic purpose, and I know that I held strong feelings about that purpose at the time. I just wish I could remember exactly what it was,” said Carnes, opening his gun safe to inspect enough assault rifles to either outfit or destroy a small platoon in the hopes that doing so might jog his memory as to exactly why he was willing to go out in a blaze of gunfire and glory. “I mean, when Obama was president, they were for sure so I could overthrow the government. But now, I feel like it might be to defend it? Man, I sure don’t know. I got that ‘Don’t Tread On Me’ flag on my truck and all, but I can’t remember who that’s talking about either.” Carnes added that he was tentatively optimistic he could deduce the reason for his arms stockpile by flipping through his 6,000-page manifesto.

animatedamerican:

butts-for-days:

blad-the-inhaler:

prettyokayray:

charlesoberonn:

The song “Jolene” but the singer never stops describing Jolene, going into more and more details and getting more and more disturbing until you’re not sure what Jolene is except that you’re afraid of her.

♪ your teeth are sharp / your mouth agape
your claws rend flesh / there’s no escape
from the judgement of the Eldritch One, Jolene ♪

He screams about you in his sleep
and when he wakes, does naught but weep
in terror, of the one they call Jolene

blackening the summer skies

with burning wings and countless eyes

we tremble at the sight of you, Jolene

♪  we cower here beneath your gaze
that sets the earth and sky ablaze
have mercy at the end of days, Jolene