The Social Permeability of Reader and Text - Introduction to Theory of Literature

Explore the theory of literature in social contexts through this 50-minute lecture from Yale University's Introduction to Theory of Literature course. Delve into the works of Mikhail Bakhtin and Hans Robert Jauss, examining their relationship to formalist theory and the writings of Barthes and Foucault. Investigate Bakhtin's concept of heteroglossia and the idea of common language through a close reading of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Analyze Jauss's study of reception history, referencing Borges' "Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote" and the Broadway revival of Damn Yankees. Learn about language in social context, the interplay between Bakhtin, Jauss, and formalism, Bakhtin's views on authority, and Jauss's perspective on the history of reception.