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International Journal of Cultural Studies
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Anti-essentialism and reception studies

In defense of the text

Arild Fetveit

University of Oslo, arild.fetveit{at}media.uio.no

This article argues that the proliferation of reception studies, together with a radical undermining of the text, has been nourished by a misconceived anti-essentialism. The article warns against overrating the freedom of the reader and against thinking that it is more in line with anti-essentialist notions to describe how texts and other objects are perceived, rather than describing their characteristics. Following a brief historical sketch of anti-essentialism and how it came to nurture a turn towards the reader, the article moves on to addressing an interchange between Umberto Eco and Richard Rorty on ‘interpretation and overinterpretation’. Rorty, in part, seems to hold on to the essentialist ontology that he claims to be fighting - a move that parallels that taken by some reception scholars. Stanley Fish formulates an anti-essentialist position, but in a way that invites further misconceptions. Once we get rid of the misconceived anti-essentialism, we can achieve a more balanced and productive relationship between reception studies and textual criticism.

Key Words: film • Fish • interpretation • philosophy • postmodernism • reception theory • Rorty • spectator • television audience • text

International Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2, 173-199 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/136787790100400203
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[Abstract] [PDF]