Reading The Eve of St.Agnes

Download or read book Reading The Eve of St.Agnes written by Jack Stillinger and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1999-10-14 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using the 180-year history of Keats'sEve of St. Agnes as a basis for theorizing about the reading process, Stillinger's book explores the nature and whereabouts of "meaning" in complex works. A proponent of authorial intent, Stillinger argues a theoretical compromise between author and reader, applying a theory of interpretive democracy that includes the endlessly multifarious reader's response as well as Keats's guessed-at intent. Stillinger also considers the process of constructing meaning, and posits an answer to why Keats's work is considered canonical, and why it is still being read and admired.