Studies Of Iser's Theory Of Blank And Indetermanacy Of Text

This paper is a tentative analysis of Iser's theory of "blank and indeterminacy of text". "Blank and indeterminacy of text" is not some specifically external material shape, but one kind of unresolved conjunctives , which is the only way to form the linguistic environment, to give the continuity to text, and to give the significance to the continuity. Because the occurrence of literary communication is the dissymmetry between text and reader, there is an intrinsic mechanism which can drive and control the communication between text and reader. This mechanism is just the blank and indeterminacy structure. This structure causes and has caused reader's construction activity, provides the reader with the right to participate in the constitution of significance. From the view of Iser' theory, the blank and indeterminacy of text not only posses leading, opening and controlling function but develops much more function in specific reading action. It is also to guide reader to be involved, to lead the reading, to provide hints to the reader, and to direct certain reading orientation. So "blank and indeterminacy of text" ensures the proper order and effectiveness of reading. Therefore, it is because of "blank and indeterminacy of text "that text is the latent exist and remains to be given actual life by reading and text meaning is founded between the text symbols and the reader in reading .Meanwhile, it also unfolds inner link between text structure and reader. In this way, Iser puts reader and reading action into text. This theory is the cornerstone of the whole Iser's Theory of reading. This paper takes the theory of "blank and indeterminacy of text" as a basic point, and elaborates the characteristic and the mechanism of the reader and the text in the reading activity which initiates from the blank and indeterminacy of text. It consists three parts.The first part introduces the background and the theoretical source; The second part elaborates Iser's theory of "blank and indeterminacy of text": Iser's theory of phenomenology text and reader; the inevitability, the connotation, the artistic form and the function of the blank and indeterminacy of text; the specific reading process of reader in text, stressing especially the mutual constructive relations between the reader and the blank and indeterminacy of text ; the importance of imagination with which reader participates in the blank and the indeterminacy; and the consummation to this theory by Iser. In the third part, it summarizes the realistic value and the significance. Iser's theory of "blank and indeterminacy of text" influences literary reading action, literary creation and literary criticism. Meanwhile, it also achieves the transfer from text to reader, supplies rich theory resources for the theory of "blank" later and effects literary theory in later 20s on thinking style,ideology pattern and methodology.