When a new character is introduced in a narrative text, his/her aspect and personality are constructed by the reader on the basis of information found in the text, inferences and information activated in the readers' memory. The first perception of a character is likely to change in the course of reading, as the reader encounters new information: this change is a component of reading pleasure. What is not explicitly described may be concretized differently by different readers (Bortolussi & Dixon, 2003; Culpeper, 1996; Gerrig & Allbritton, 1990; Jouve, 1992, Levorato, 2000; Nemesio, 2002; Rimmon-Kenan, 1983; Van Peer, 1988). In the course of his/her act of reading, the reader activates, in his memory, material to be used in his concretization and introduces new information. At the same time, the act of reading is very selective, removing information that is considered irrelevant. If the reader is then asked about information which has not been maintained in memory, s/he may be forced to draw inferences that are different from those actually implied by the text's surface. In the current study we analyze the construction of characters by readers who differ as to gender (male vs female), university education (humanities vs applied sciences) and the degree of interest experienced while reading. We hypothesize that these reader characteristics may affect the perception of the characters.
Reader’s Construction of Characters in Narrative Texts
NEMESIO, Aldo Severino;
2008-01-01
Abstract
When a new character is introduced in a narrative text, his/her aspect and personality are constructed by the reader on the basis of information found in the text, inferences and information activated in the readers' memory. The first perception of a character is likely to change in the course of reading, as the reader encounters new information: this change is a component of reading pleasure. What is not explicitly described may be concretized differently by different readers (Bortolussi & Dixon, 2003; Culpeper, 1996; Gerrig & Allbritton, 1990; Jouve, 1992, Levorato, 2000; Nemesio, 2002; Rimmon-Kenan, 1983; Van Peer, 1988). In the course of his/her act of reading, the reader activates, in his memory, material to be used in his concretization and introduces new information. At the same time, the act of reading is very selective, removing information that is considered irrelevant. If the reader is then asked about information which has not been maintained in memory, s/he may be forced to draw inferences that are different from those actually implied by the text's surface. In the current study we analyze the construction of characters by readers who differ as to gender (male vs female), university education (humanities vs applied sciences) and the degree of interest experienced while reading. We hypothesize that these reader characteristics may affect the perception of the characters.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
