International Journal of Languages' Education and Teaching

Abstract

Iser is literary theoretician and co-founder of the Constance School of Reception Aesthetics, professor Emeritus of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Constance and the University of California, Irvine. When Iser died in 2007 in his eighty-first year, he was one of the most widely known literary theoreticians in the world. His “implied reading” theory claims that texts can themselves also awaken false expectations, alternately bringing about surprise, joy and frustration, which can be the enlargement of experience. The indeterminacy of the text might yield different responses from different readers. To prove that each implied reading is based on the schemata of the readers, this study aims at analysing the stories told by language learners of Turkish who come from 20 countries and whose ages vary between 18-32. The participants are 65 undergraduate and graduate university students, from African, Asian and Balkan countries, who upon watching “Cinderella” were asked to write about the unforgettable folk story or fairy tale. When their stories are item analysed, the results show that the schematas of the learners shape the way they choose and recount the stories. Leraners of Turkish fill in the gaps throughout the story, form a meaningful bond by pulling information from it, participating in a reciprocal relationship, creating and deriving meaning in an extravaganza of interpretation.