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date: 11 November 2024

readerly and writerly (lisible and scriptible) 

Source:
A Dictionary of Critical Theory
Author(s):

Ian Buchanan

French literary theorist Roland *Barthes proposed these terms in S/Z (1970), translated as S/Z (1974) to distinguish between literary works that because of their specific formal qualities either constrain the reader to adhere closely to the text with little or no room for interpretive manoeuvre (readerly), or, demand that the reader work hard to make sense of the text and effectively contribute to its very writing (writerly). The first kind of text renders the reader passive, while the latter variety forces the reader to become active. Barthes classifies so-called classical or realist texts, such as ... ...

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