Novel Writing From The Perspective Of Implied Readers

In the past, people used to research novel writing from the perspective of writers. This is correct and necessary as writing is a kind of subjective activity. However, novel writing has never been like soliloquy, but the activity under a set object. This set object is the “implied reader” referred by Iser, who is one of the representatives of reception aesthetics. According to Iser’s, the implied reader is not a passive recipient, it inevitably leave an impact on novel writing. Thus, the analysis of this impact will help to research novel writing deeper and more comprehensively. It is necessary to research about the whole procedure of novel’s conception, writing and finalizing under the view point of implied reader. This thesis will make an elementary attempt of this topic as the discussion about this is rarely been studied before.Chapter I will define the implied readers. Implied reader is firstly mentioned by Iser who is one of the representatives of reception aesthetics. Implied reader is not as same as real readers but is similar to the hypothetical readers. It have some general characteristics of hypothetical reader such as abstraction and categorization,meanwhile it is presupposed for the author as well. The characteristics of implied reader can be obtained when compared with real readers. Real readers and implied readers are not mutually exclusive, implied readers accomplished real readers to some extend.Chapter II demonstrates how writer consider and communicate with readers. According to whether the author values the communication with reader or not, author can be divided into two kinds: positive and rejective. The positive reader will communicate with reader actively while the rejective author refuses to communicate with readers. The communication between author and reader can be divided based on different standard such as direct and indirect communication, in the text and outside the text as well.Chapter III illustrates the strategies applied by author in response to the implied readers in the text. The strategies include: 1, selection of narrative theories. Readers are willing to accept first-person narrative perspective, because the author and the reader enjoy an equal relation, which leaves the reader a strong sense of reality and give readers more respect. In third-person narration, reader knows characters’ mental activity clearly because author and reader are overlooking characters at the same location. In second-person narration, whether the wording is success or not is based on whether readers offer empathy because reader and characters are easy to overlap. 2, novels’ beginning and end arrangement. The beginning of novel should excite reader’s amusement so that it can lead readers to the door of novel’s world. Novels are usually begin in two ways: one is start with suspense to attract readers, the other one is to begin with scenic description and attract readers by atmosphere. 3, rhetoric selection. Novel discourse can be broadly separated into elegance and popularity, some authors are tend to employ elegant word to write novel in a certain period, while some other authors tend to use secular word in another period of time. The selection of these two kinds of rhetoric depends on reader’s aesthetic taste to some extent. 4, scenes description. Generally speaking, the scene description is associated with characters’ mood performance, but the author will consider reader’s response when choosing what scene and how this scene to be present. Authors will choose the preferred scene and preferred way to describe these scenes in many times 5, intonation. Irony is a kind of intonation, the author will consider the readers response when utilize irony in most situation. 6. narrative intervention is the author’s appearance and dialogue with readers, generally appear in the omniscient point view novel. Narrative interventions generally include two kinds: one reader’s guidance intervention, the other intervention is information’s offering and supplement.Chapter IV demonstrates the author’s applied outside text strategy in response to the implied readers. Outside text strategies include: 1, reader positioning. Literature has its market as intellectual products. According to the demand of readers, literature market can be separated into two sub-markets: secular market and elegant market. Secular market and elegant market has their own targeted audience. Thus, author are wording with a goal rather than soliloquy. Furthermore, they have their own target audience, like secular audience and elegant audience. Therefore they must strive to meet the aesthetic needs of their targeted readership. 2, theme selection. The authors’ theme selection is not only based on their life accumulation, but depends on the reader’s aesthetic taste as well. Readers’ aesthetic taste promotes the formation of hot topics and follow works in some time. 3, title confirmation. A good title is able to attract reader’s reading interest, therefore writers will consider their reader’s aesthetic taste when name their work. The title of novel is considered before, during and after author’s wording; sometimes, the name is finally confirmed after repeated deliberation. This suggests that the author realized that a good title can attract the reader extend the audience; in a commercial society, but can also increase sales and bring profits. Therefore, in the novel named is carefully issued most authors(and editor).In the conclusion, it emphasizes that authors are affected by readers, as writers are producer while readers are consumer. According to the consumption theory of Marxism, the ultimate goal of all the production is to satisfy consumption. We can not only use the theory of reception aesthetics to explain the relationship between readers and writers in literary activities, but, we can get better understand this by the production and consumption theories of Marx as well. It is suggested that when regarded literature as consumer goods and literary creation and appreciation activities as the production and consumption activities, the Inevitability that literary activities is dominated by readers and the necessity that research novel writing under the view point of implied reader.