Iser's Challenge

Wolfgang Iser, "Literary History as a Challenge to Literary Theory"

Iser's initial call for attention to the reception of works is meant to challenge the assumptions and limits of formalist literary history and to offer a peak at how to explain why works like Madame Bovary do so much to change social norms. I quite enjoyed this piece and I can now see a number of potential ways to apply reception theory to the investigation of Yang jiang and other icons in Chinese literature.

1. Why Yang Jiang's standing in the world has risen quickly, generally speaking. Iser introduces his reception idea with the statement that, "In the triangle of author, work and reading public the latter is no passive part, no chain of mere reactions, but even history-making energy." The first step is that the perspective of the "reading public" have a major place in the argument. Iser further would have us understand that there is process whereby this reading public, writers included, go from a more "passive" position of receiving the work in question and on to a more "active" stage of building up admirations, imitations, refutations, etc. We sort of see this in Yang Jiang's three published biographies, all of which crib from her own autobiographical writings, but only the third of which gets her authorized endorsement. This is not a clear point, admittedly: more later.

2. Every author anticipates, in some respect, the standards of the genre she is using, previous works that she is appropriating from, and elements of the reader's life experience. These must be compared and otherwise considered together. Iser takes as the subject of study here the genre, themes and poetic vs. practical language dimension here, but does not assure us that this list is complete. Understanding this can help us understand why Yang Jiang is so popular.

3. The "aesthetic distance" of Yang Jiang's work seems to have closed considerably as her iconic status has arisen. Like a classic, the work of an icon does not necessarily have the power to challenge the horizon of expectations.

6. The aesthetic accomplishment of Yang Jiang's work may be in helping the project of re-evaluating figures like her father, making 1900s-1930s humanists the new role models for today again. See the brand new understanding of Yang Jiang's father in the newest biography, for example.

7. Like Madame Bovary, Yang Jiang's work can have complex effects on the moral character of the reading public. Where Bovary was so interesting for its supposed challenge to morality, however, Yang Jiang is interesting for an equally supposed lack of challenge, a return to the safest, most traditional and comfortable side of humanism.

To be updated: bear in mind these are notes of a distracted and tired student.