Home >> The Modern Language Review, Volume 103, Number 3

Unamuno, the Reader, and the Hermeneutical Gap

Author: Longhurst, C. A.

Source: The Modern Language Review, Volume 103, Number 3, 1 July 2008 , pp. 741-752(12)

Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association

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Abstract:

Unamuno's work is full of apostrophes to the reader, and in his novels we find fictional readers as well. Using a number of well-known novels as illustration, this article considers how Unamuno places the reader centre stage and how this rhetorical device functions in forcing the reader to face choices. Instead of simply making statements, Unamuno's texts ask questions in accordance with his theory that `la novela la hace el lector'. In some ways Unamuno's narratives adumbrate the reader-response theories of the later twentieth century, not just by placing the burden of responsibility for meaning on the reader, but also in the way in which Unamuno attempts to create a reading community.

Keywords: Unamuno; reader; novels; rhetorical device; reader-response theories; reading community

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: King's College London

Publication date: 2008-07-01

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  • The Modern Language Review, the flagship journal of the Association, is available to all individual members as part of their subscription. MLR is one of the oldest journals in its field, maintaining an unbroken publication record since its foundation in 1905, and publishing more than 3,000 articles and 20,000 book reviews.

    Each volume consists of four issues, published in January, April, July and October of each year. Its 1000+ annual pages are divided roughly equally between articles, predominantly on medieval and modern literature in the languages of Europe, and over 500 reviews of books in these areas. All contributions are in English, and each section is edited by a noted scholar in the field, under the overall supervision of the General Editor. Articles are chosen not only for their scholarly worth and originality but also, as far as possible, for their potential interest to a wider readership in other disciplines.
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