Unamuno, the Reader, and the Hermeneutical Gap

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Modern language review 2008-07, Vol.103 (3), p.741-752
Main Author: Longhurst, C. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Authors
Criticism and interpretation
Hermeneutics
Language translation
Literary criticism
Literary theory
Manipulation
Narratives
Narratology
Narrators
Novels
Persona
Reader interest
Textual criticism
Unamuno y Jugo, Miguel de (1864-1936)
Unamuno, Miguel de
Works
Writers
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary: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.
ISSN:0026-7937
2222-4319
DOI:10.1353/mlr.2008.0106