aesthetic response theory, the text is saturated with the beliefs of the author. The reader cannot ignore them, because they are the lifeblood of the text, without them there is no book.The reader also cannot ignore all prior beliefs of his or her own. The text calls into question the current beliefs and past experiences of the reader, therefore the reader is forced to dwell on the attitudes that he or she brought into the reading. To separate oneself from these effects would be to allow oneself to be easily persuaded without having the tools for an argument. The author’s views would appear to be correct because the reader is not allowed to bring experiences into the discussion.Iser’s claim that the aesthetic response theory both can and should be used to read and review all texts proves to be unfounded when used to review The Act of Reading. Several of the points that are key to the theory fail to hold up against the text. Iser’s text, due to both the style in which it was written and the prolific use of outside sources, fails to allow the reader the freedom of interpretation that Iser claims the reader must have. The problem that fouls up Iser’s theory is fundamental. It is not possible to allow a reader to have a unique interaction with a text or to grant the reader freedom in discovering the meanings behind texts if the manner in which the reader approaches texts is described by a theory. Both Iser’s theory is destroyed by his own text that proves, upon review, that literary theories do not promote complete freedom of interaction or thought when they dictate how a reader thinks....
