Recepcióelmélet

Recepcióelmélet, often translated as reception theory or reception studies, is a field within literary and cultural theory that focuses on the reception of a text by its audience. It shifts the emphasis from the author's intention or the text's inherent meaning to how readers or viewers interpret and engage with a work. Key to this theory is the idea that the meaning of a text is not fixed but is actively constructed through the interaction between the text and its audience.

This approach emerged primarily from the work of scholars like Hans Robert Jauss and Wolfgang Iser in the 1960s and 1970s. Jauss introduced the concept of the "horizon of expectations," suggesting that readers approach texts with pre-existing assumptions and knowledge shaped by their historical and cultural context. The "implied reader," a concept developed by Iser, refers to the hypothetical reader constructed by the text itself, who possesses the skills and knowledge necessary to complete the meaning.

Reception theory acknowledges that different readers, in different times and places, will interpret the same text in various ways. This variability is not seen as a flaw but as an essential aspect of how texts live and evolve through their engagement with diverse audiences. It has been applied to various forms of media, including literature, film, television, and even art, demonstrating the broad applicability of understanding the reader's role in the creation of meaning.