Study On Western Reader Theory In The Perspective Of Modernity

The cause of the rise of western reader theory includes three aspects——thespecial era background and consumption context of the20th century, deconstructionphilosophy ideological trend and modernity paying attention to human’ s subjectconsciousness.The construction of the20th century western reader theory, is an importantembodiment of the modernity (especially the aesthetic modernity) pursuit in the fieldof literary theory. Generally speaking, the modernity pursues novelty and change,which has the historical continuity and rebellion. To fit the characteristics and thepursuit of modernity, western scholars research readers, who have been ignored on theedge. It can be said that reader theory is a rebellion against the traditional authorcentered and text centered theory. At the same time, the western reader theory is notimmutable and frozen genre and theory. Similar to the modernity, it also has its owndeveloping history, in different periods show different features, formed a relativelycomplete and independent theoretical system: Germination period (about twentiethcentury30’s to60’s), forming its theoretical form in the phenomenological aestheticsand literary theory of hermeneutics. The peak period (60’s to70’s), reaching its peak inthe aesthetic and reader response criticism. Decline period (since70’s and80’s)readers research began to decline, the readers of literary theory in this phase mainlyfocus on Harold Blum as the representative of the misreading theory.In general, there are many schools of western reader theory, and many complexfactions of the theory. But in general, the core issues they discuss include the reader’ssubjective consciousness, reader’s reading experience and the reader’s reading ability.It is noteworthy that the relationship between the core problems is not only the coretheories of western readers, but also the dominant position of the reader, and the key tothe construction of the gradually established reader theory.In addition, the rise of the reader upsurge of European and American academiccircles, or the rise of western reader theory in the20th Century, had a profound andlasting impact on the development of the western literary theory. On the one hand, itpromoted the construction and development of western literary theories. Generallyspeaking, the western reader theory developed the phenomenology text theory, broaden the research field of vision, and enriched the literary practice and application ofdeconstruction. On the other hand, with a80’s translation thought, the western readertheory was introduced to China, the impact on China’s literary theory mainly reflectedin two aspects: in practice, promoted the development of China’s literary and artisticpractice, such as keeping the literature creation a reader consciousness, promotingdomestic reader criticism and the development of history of literature acceptance. Atthe theoretical level, not only to promote the formation of new Chinese literary theoryin the view of acceptance and misreading, but also to promote the domestic scholarsattempt to build a China characteristics of reader theory. It is noteworthy that thewestern reader theory has both positive and negative impact on the development ofChinese literary theory, which need dialectical analysis by us.