The Effects of Reality Perception and Fantasy on Response to Literature: Two Case Studies

Theses presented are: "reality perception & fantasy give both structure & content to a reader's literary response" & "an important purpose of literature is the sharing of responses to reach understanding & consensus - in an attempt to achieve a dialectic" (communication). Response process is described through research findings emphasizing reality perceptions & fantasies, as reflected by two readers' responses. Ss were 2 F ninth grade students attending a junior high school in a Buffalo, New York, blue-collar suburb. Texts used included an ample variety of poems, a diary, & a novel. Ss' usual reading habits are outlined. Response patterns were based on data from the Thematic Appreciation Test, interviews, & literary responses. It is concluded that there is a workable means of sharing perceptions, inner experiences, & personal styles through literature which can be integrated into a scholastic curriculum. The important element in this teaching model is its structure - free response in the form of student-student & student-teacher discourse. 2 Figures. L. Damesceno