This document provides an overview of Reader Response theory and criticism. Some key points: 1) Reader Response criticism focuses on the reader's role in constructing the meaning of a literary work, as meaning does not reside solely in the text itself but depends on the reader's engagement. 2) This school of criticism emerged in the 1970s and is championed by theorists like Fish, Holland, Iser, and Rosenblatt. It positions the reader as an active participant rather than a passive recipient. 3) According to this view, different readers can generate multiple valid interpretations based on their own experiences and backgrounds, though interpretations must still be supported by evidence from the text.