Implementing Reader-Response Theory: An Alternative Way of Teaching Literature Research Report on the Reading of Booker T Washington's Up from Slavery*

Abstract

Reader-response theory shifts the critical focus from a fext to a reader. It diverts the emphasisaway from the text as the sole determiner of meaning to the significance of the reader as an essential participant in the reading process and the creation of meaning. Thus, both explanations place a reader as an active participantalong with the text in the production ofinterpretation ofthat literary work from the point ofview ofthe reader-response theory.As a result, if teaching literature is to accommodate the students' role in making interpretation, it is supposed to place them as the active readers to interpret and shape the meaning of that particular literary works; it is not preaching or directing them into a specific meaning decided previously. Students as the active readers must be given opportunity and space to develop their opinion and argumentation to shape and define what a particular text means to them. Therefore, by understanding and applying reader-response theory in teaching and learning literature in the classroom, at the same time, teachers could have a different teaching and learning method e.g. learners-centered learning. This paper is going to depict how the understanding of a literary work's meaning and interpretation is composed by the readers-the students; how the students could function themselves as active readers who successfully manage to interpret the literary work based on their responses and how finally this particular group of readers could finally agree on the particular interpretation. Besides,it is to place students both as the readers and learners• The paper hasbeen presented inthe2°^RAFIL (Reading Asia, Forging Identities in Literature) International Conference on East-West hosted by Sanata Dhamrn University in Yogyakarta Indonesia.

Upaya Peningkatan Pemahaman Guru Bahasa Inggris Sma Mengenai Model Pembelajaran Sastra Berbahasa Inggris

“…Pada pendekatan pengembangan diri, karya sastra berfungsi sebagai wadah perangsang untuk mengembangkan diri sendiri (Carter & Long, 1991;Lazar, 1993;Savvidou, 2004;Hwang & Embi, 2007;Rashid, Vethamani, & Rahman, 2010;Mustakim, Mustapha, & Lebar, 2014;Iskhak, 2015). Tapi, pada situasi pembelajaran bahasa asing, pendekatan ini akan sulit diterapkan bila siswa tidak bisa memahami teks bahasa asing yang sedang mereka pelajari karena faktor kesulitan bahasa (Trisnawati, 2009;Iskhak, 2015).…”

Stepmothers, witches and fairy godmothers in grimms’ children’s and household tales: students’ perceptions of women stereotypes

“…As a part of children's literature, fairy tales could be the object of a literary critical approach in this study, while the reader is placed further as an active participant who would then provide another view on the reader's role itself. Thus, the reader is basically the one who reads and gives meaning to every literary work (Trisnawati, 2009). Each of the literary texts, as stated by Lobo (2013), contains in itself its meaning that must be decoded or translated by the readers.…”

The application of reader-response theory to teach symbolism in literature class for EFL students

“…Scholars believed one effective approach that can be used in teaching literature is reader-response approach; hence study about reader-response and literature has been done extensively (Febriani, 2019;Iskhak, Saleh, Sofwan, Hartono, 2017;Trisnawati, 2009). Firstly, in her study, Febriani (2019) stated that by applying reader-response approach in a literature class, the students are able to express not merely their personal feelings (like, dislike, sad, unhappy feelings, and so on), but they had also showed that they had a good start to think critically upon literary works.…”

“…Lastly, Trisnawati (2009) also analyzed the implementation of reader-response theory on the reading of Booker T. Washington's autobiography Up from Slavery. The students were given the work to read without telling them what it was about, as a part of consequences to employ the readerresponse theory.…”

“…Iskhak et al studied the improvement of the participants' critical thinking by assessing their reading test. While, Trisnawati (2009) analyzed the students' ability to enjoy the reading passage, and the ability to grasp the life value. Whereas, symbolism is considered as the most important elements of serious imaginative literature which provide rich sources of insight (McMahan, Funk, Day & Coleman, 2017, p. 124).…”