费什读者反应批评若干重要理论概念评析

Some Important Theoretical Concepts of Stanley Fish's Reader-Response Criticism:A Critical Study

费什的读者反应批评理论涉及四个重要的概念:文本与读者的关系、阐释团体、构成阐释团体的读者、文本的分析方法。在文本与读者关系的问题上,费什的观点大有别于其他读者反应批评理论家。费什强调,不同阐释团体由于采用不同的阐释策略,对同一文本阐释的结果大相径庭;但每一个阐释结果,只有对阐释团体各自的读者才是确信无疑的。他对不同阐释结果持以宽容的态度,值得赞赏。费什所称的"有知识读者"指的是各种阐释团体具有文学能力的理想化读者或批评家;实用批评家对其读者观颇有微词。费什的文本分析方法见解独特,但既有长处,也有不足。

Relating to his Reader-Response Criticism,Fish puts forth some important theoretical concepts such as text and reader relationship,interpretive communities,readers that constitute interpretive communities,and methods for text analysis.Fish's view on text and reader relationship differs from that of other reader-response theorists in that he regards the text not as the object for interpretation,but as the product of interpretation.The reader produces both the text and its meanings,but is inevitably constrained by the norms and conventions of his or her community.The idea of interpretive communities is a socialized understanding system,and what lies behind Fish's thinking at this point is to socialize the reader.For several decades of the last century,Chinese interpretive communities were by and large ideologically oriented,and this was mainly responsible for the radical tendency in their literary criticism.According to Fish,as a result of adopting different interpretive strategies,from a same piece of literary text,different communities generate different interpretations,but each reading is true only for the reader of his or her own interpretive community.His broadvminded attitude toward different interpretive results deserves appreciation.The term 'informed reader' Fish adopts refers to a kind of idealized reader or critic with literary competence,and critics of Practical Criticism have dissenting opinions on his reader perspective.Fish's methods for text analysis as specified in his Affective Stylistics are quite unique,but not necessarily perfect without blemish.