Peter Rabinowitz, “Actual Reader and
Authorial Reader”
“Comprehension is…a process of sign
production where a reader actively attributes significance to signifiers on the
basis of previously learned cultural codes” (Rabinowitz 262).
Learning how to understand and find
meaning in a text starts with understanding how we have been taught to read and
interpret. Readers interpret in a variety of different ways, but it all comes
down to the way our culture teaches and emphasizes what we should look for. But
what should we be looking for?
Literature and literary interpretation have a great deal to do with language,
as literature is just that: language that has been written down and preserved
for people to experience again and again. When we read, we look at the language
in the text and what it tells us. We see the obvious, and then search beyond
the meaning in plain sight to find what else is woven into the text.
This comprehension, or understanding
what you are actually reading (rather than merely looking at words on a page),
is applicable to the way we see the world. Learning to read well also aids in
learning to see the world well. The skills that come from digging into a text
to see beyond the surface are transferable. What at first glance appears to be
an inconsequential advertisement can be examined a second time to see what the
photograph, television commercial, or website announcement says about society
and what people value. For example, examine a recent radio spot addressing an
online dating service, in which the guy breaks up with the girl. Instead of
responding with the normal reactions (crying, asking why, getting angry), the
girl instead goes immediately to the Internet site and finds a cute potential
match, while the guy looks on in dismay. An initial reaction may be one of
laughter as the tables are turned. But looking deeper at the signs and
signifiers, perhaps there is more to it: a commentary on how women no longer
need a man to feel valuable, perhaps? Or maybe men believe themselves to be
more valuable to women after they are no longer available?
Understanding what we are actually
reading and experiencing are extremely valuable skills that can be used in more
than interpreting literature. These skills can be applied to all aspects of
life, be they in other university classes, your chosen career field, your
discussions of media, or your conversations with friends about current events
(however, try not to drive your friends crazy with your brilliant understanding
of soda pop jingles and baby Gap window advertisements).
