The lived experience of reading

Abstract

Using the work of Louise Rosenblatt and her transactional theory of reading, this article examines the experiential nature of literature. Challenging notions of literature that rely solely on fixed categories, the writings of Louise Rosenblatt emphasize the dynamic nature of the literary work. A poem, a novel, or a play, Rosenblatt argues, is not an object but a lived event requiring the reader’s active participation. By exploring the concept of literary transaction, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the evolving role of the reader in producing and shaping the literary work. An analysis of the reader’s engagement with the potentialities of the text reveals the literary work as an interactive process of assembling and sharing meanings.