Reception theory emphasizes how readers actively interpret and make meaning from a text based on their own experiences and beliefs, rather than texts having intrinsic meanings. It was developed in the 1960s by Hans-Robert Jauss and later expanded on by Stuart Hall for media studies. Hall's approach views the meaning of a text as created through the relationship between what is encoded in a text by its producer and how it is decoded by each individual reader.

1. R ee io Ther
cpt n oy

2. • Reception theory emphasizes the
reader response from a text.
• It is a form of reader response literary
theory that was developed in the 1960’s
by Hans-Robert Jauss.
• Stuart Hall later developed it for media
and communication studies and the
theory is most influential from the
1980’s onwards.
QuickTimeª and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

3. • Stuart Hall’s approach to textual analysis
is based on ‘negotiation’ and ‘opposition’.
• This means that texts do not have intrinsic
meanings but instead have meanings
encoded into them which are then
decoded by the reader.
• The way a reader decodes a text is
dependent on sociological factors such as
age, past experiences and their own
beliefs.
• The meaning of a text is therefore created
through the relationship between the text
and the reader.

4. • When a group of readers share a similar
cultural background it is more likely that
they will decode a similar meaning.
• If a reader has a different cultural
background to the producer of a text the
less likely it is they will decode the meaning
that the producer intended.
• Producers can try to encourage readers to
gather the intended meaning in their text by
encoding it but it is still relative to the reader
how they decode it.