Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Copyright 1996 by John Lye. This text may be freely used, with attribution, for non-profit purposes.
As are all of my posts for this course, this document is open to change. If you have any suggestions
(additions, qualifications, arguments), mail me.
A: Matters to be brought to the text for use in the decoding of the text
accessibility of allusion, or reference
access to historical references, to cultural allusions, to literary allusions, and recognition of their
relevance or meaningfulness in the text
conventions of reading
including 1) conventions of significance (raising the meaning to its most general application), of
metaphorical coherence, and of thematic unity, which all help to create the meaningfulness of
'literature'; 2) conventions as to the way in which texts 'represent' 'reality'; and 3) conventions of
interpretation, of how texts are read -- e.g. formally, ideologically, psychoanalytically, 'morally' , etc.
history of interpretation
knowledge of traditions of reading and of interpretation -- for instance, the Hamlet which we read (have
been taught to read) has been interpreted before us and for us.
usage of genre
knowledge of the characteristics and conventions of various genre, of for instance irony in satire; and
knowledge of the typical topics of the genre, e.g. heroism, romantic love etc.; historical knowledge of
the same, i.e. what were the expectations of the various kinds of comedies held by Shakespeare's
contemporaries
attunement to polysemy
to the multi-valence of words, to connotative force, to metaphor and metonymy and other rhetorical
structures and devices; to historical uses of these
socio-political perspective
the social and political situation and perspective from which the text will be read and from which the
matter of the text will be viewed
socio-political references
references which the reader may apply to her or his social or political milieu -- e.g. in novels of manners,
satires against corrupt governments, etc.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/reading-comprehension-factors/