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AUTHOR Ma, Yan TITLE A Reader-Response Analysis of "A Book from the Sky." PUB DATE [95] NOTE 21p.; In: Imagery and Visual Literacy: Selected Readings from the Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (26th, Tempe, Arizona, October 12-16, 1994); see IR 016 977. Illustrations may not reproduce clearly. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Speeches /Conference Papers (150)

EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Age; *Art Criticism; Art Education; *Chinese; Cultural Influences; *Data Interpretation; Ethnicity; Foreign Countries; Imagery; Professional Occupations; *Reader Response; *Reader Text Relationship; Sex; Visual Arts; Visual Literacy IDENTIFIERS *Book from the Sky (A); ; Gender Issues; United States

ABSTRACT This study applies reader-response criticism to investigate subject positions of gender, age, ethnicity, and profession through the poststructural analysis of an art work entitled "A Bcok from the Sky," and examines the relationship among viewer, text (the art work), and artist. A description of the art work is provided as an introduction. The study's general concern is "What meanings do viewers with different ethnicity, gender, age, and profession construct from viewing this work of art?" The study compares the similarities and differences of the interpretations given by United States (novice) viewers and Chinese (expert) critics; ascertains the author's intention in making the "Book"; compares, his intention with viewer reactions; and describes the codes in the "Book." An introduction to the Chinese language is provided, and the foll,wing language codes are defined: images; sounds; radicals; grammar. Three illustrations of the "Book" are provided.(Contains 39 references.) (MAS)

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OfEDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS and Improvernont )Mice of EducattOnal Rataitoch MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEDBY INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCECENTER (ER ICS ) bean felooducdas Alice Walker. 0 This document hall Of organization Yan Ma recchvO0 from the periOn ohgmatmci made to improve C Minor changes have been reproduction quality stated in this docu- points of clew 04 Opmi Onerepresent official TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES ment do not necessarily OERI position or policy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

Introduction becauseof mass productioninthe industrial society.The late twentieth This study applies reader-response century has witnessed the innovations of criticism to inve3tigate subject positions technologyrangingfromtelephone of gender, age, ethnicity, and profession networks, communication satellites, radar through a poststructural analysis of an art systems, programmable laser videodiscs, work entitled A Book from the Sky robots, biogenetically engineered cells, (hereafter referred as Book). This study computernetworks,rocketguidance examines the relationship between and systems and to artificial intelligence. Bill among viewer, text (the art work), and Nichols (1988) has carried Benjamin's artist. Itexplorestherelationships inquiry forward as he describes the mass between and among subject positions of production in the age of cybernetics. The viewers, text, and historical moments of aura of a cultural product has been lost in viewing, and investigates how the art massproductionof copymachines, work positioned viewers in the social computers, etc. Although critiques of art change and meaning construction.Since works based on the ideas of Benjamin and the Book possesses political, social, and Nichols have been carried out in the cultural values, the study is a postmodern West, Eastern scholars have not educational enterprise. The study is also articulated these ideas.An ambitious a contributionto postmodern art work of art, however, has appeared in education. For the purpose of the study, Chinaanditincorporatesbothof both textual analysis and social science Benjamin's major topics, namely, the research methods, such as survey and aura of an art work and the nature of interviews, were used. mass reproductionwith letterpress printing. Description of A Book from the Sky The art work is entitled A Book In his essay The Work of Art in the from the Sky.One copy of the Book Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter consists of four volumes each 40 cm x 36 Benjamin (1936) described a crisis that cm. The Book's format resembles that of occurred in the late twentieth century. Chinese holy classics.The artist, Xu He warned that the originalityor the Bing,spent:nreeyears making the "aura" of an art work had been lost volumes. The characters in the Book are

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2 made up, designed, carved, and printed reacted differently to this Book.The by the artist.They look like real words Book was praised highly and discussed but they are not real words.The artist heatedly in China before the Tiananmen has created a totally "new" language, by Square incident on June 4th, 1989. From combining traditional Chinese printing 1985 to 1989, there was a new trend in with book-making. He kept the aura of Chinese art which was labeled as the original art by creating more than four "New Wave of Fine Arts."Art works thousandindividual"characters,"the influenced by the New Wave were similar method of printingappliedandthe toWesternartinstyleor number of copies printed are related to conceptualization. After the June 4th the concept of mass production discussed incident, the government set a policy to in Benjamin's essay.The artist used control arts. The Book was criticized by letterpress printing to print one hundred some conservative critics as an example and twenty copies of the Book. When it ofthe productof"bourgeois was exhibited, it was installed in three liberalization" during the "New Wave" fashions:thread-bound books,ceiling (Yang, 1990). draperies(an exaggerated form of a Chinese scroll), and wall hangings (an The Bookisdeprived of the exaggerated form of Chinese painting on standardmeansofcommunication: walls). reading. Though it is considered a book in its form and format, it resists reading. Artist , spent three years Because it resembles a real Chinese book, making these unrecognizable characters it invites viewers to read, understand, and during the time when China was opening interpret, but its characters are simply art its door to the rest of the world; allowing forms. It was presented to a United the flow of Western ideas into China; States audience during the period from 30 acceptingandrejectingideas and November 1991 to 19 January 1992. philosophy of old and new, Eastern and Western, traditional and contemporary in The Book is a challenge to viewers a mixed condition.As Erickson (1991) not only visually but also culturally.It pointed out,"denying the meaning of challenges viewers to rethink the meaning Chinese culture by deconstructing the of language and the relationship with its written word has political overtones in culture. itself. ItechoesyoungChinese intellectuals' frustration with a system of The general concern of this study culture tightlyconstrainedby the is"What meanings do viewers with authorities and questions the validity of a differentethnicity,age,gender,and civilization that could produce such a profession construct from viewing this situation" (p. 12). Book?". Thestudycomparesthe similaritiesanddifferencesofthe The appearance of the Book in interpretations given by United States China spurred reaction from art circles viewers (novice viewers) and Chinese and other viewers as well as reactions critics (expert viewers); ascertains the from other countries in Asia.Viewers author's intention in making this Book; with different social, economic, political, compareshisintentionwithviewer educational, and cultural backgrounds reactions; and describes the codes in the

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3 Book. Becausetheinvestigatorhas questions stated earlier, a research design, available only the critiques written by which consists of personalinterview, Chinese critics, these critiques are used survey, and a poststructural analysis using for comparison. reception theory to analyze collected data is developed. Objective and Focus Questions Interviewsare used to gather responses A number of focus questions are related from viewersof theUnitedStates. to the objective of the study. Following Interviewsare used toascertainthe are the objective and focus questions for intention of the artist who created the the study: Book.

Using reception theory to compare and Surveyis used in case there are more contrast between and among the artist, the viewers than the investigator could handle Bookitself,andtheviewers,the at one time. A questionnaire is mailed researcheraskedthefollowing focus only to those who have been to the show questions: and whose gender and age groupare known to the investigator in order to 1. What is the intention of the artist who avoid sensitive questions. Therefore, this created thisBook? group of respondents are those whom the 2. What are the codes in theBook? investigator personally knows. 3. What meanings are constructed when viewers interact with thisBook? Ttxtual analysisis used in this study.It 3a. How do Chinese critics react to this cc; sists of the analyses of the text (i.e., Book? theBook);the critiques of Chinese critics; 3b. How do the United States viewers thetranscriptionsofinterviewand react to thisBook? questionnaire of novice viewers, and the 4. How do the Chinese critics' perception artist: interview transcription. Chinese of the codes compare with the United characters are the symbols of Chinese States viewers' perception of the codes of culture. When the cultural symbolsare theBook? deconstructedandreconstructedinto 5. Whatarethesimilaritiesand familiar but new symbols, how do people differencesbetweenand amongthe of different ethnicity, age, gender, and intention of the artist .and the profession construct meaning when they interpretations of the Chinese critics and are interacting with these new symbols (in the United States viewers? thiscasethoseintheBook)? As 6. Whatarethesimilaritiesand DeVaney (DeVaney & Elenes,1990) differences ofthe interpretations pointed out "A post structural textual generated by the United States viewers analysishasthepowertoanswer questions about cultural meanings. " Codes from groups differing in gender, age, and or syntax of theBookare analyzed profession? because a close textual analysisis of primary importance to a further analysis Methodology of the relationship between andamong text,reader and artist. The textual In order to examine the research analysis of theBookconsists of the

IVLA - 220 4 following elements: codes of Chinese Chinese characters; Vietnam and Korea language, codes of Chinese characters, which formerly used Chinese characters, codes of classic Chinese books, and codes have kept some of the Chinese characters of installation of the Book. These codes in their languages, making the population are used in analyzing expert viewers' of Chinese language users even bigger. critiques, novice viewers' interview and BecauseChineselanguageisnota questionnaire transcriptions, and artist' phonetic based language, it causes more interview transcription. difficulty in its use than do most of the languagesintheworld. Chinese A Book from the Sky characters consist of three parts: image, The Book is a text in this study. sound, and meaning. Chinese characters are the symbols of Chinese culture. When thecultural Codes of Images. Chinese characters are symbols aredeconstructed and constructed on the basis of the imitative reconstructedintofamiliarbut new symbols or the charactersthatcarry symbols, how do viewers of different imitative components.As an origin, a ethnicity, age, gender, and profession Chinese character is created based on an create meaning when they are interacting image of a real object.The system of with these new symbols (in this case the Chinesecharacters isbasicallyan text)? In the fol! -wing discussion, codes ideographicone. "Becauseofthe or syntax of the Book are analyzed retention of the ideographic script,in because a close textual analysisis of China no conceptual separation occurred primary importance to a further analysis dividing writing from painting and the of text, reader and artist.The textual other arts. Calligraphy, in fact, had been analysisconsistsofthefo!lowing 'the mother of Chinese pictorial art and elements: codes of Chinese lanF.uage, always its ally" (Miller, 1983, p. 44). codes of Chinese characters, codes of As a result, Chinese language becomes classicChinese books, and codes of the only language in the world that is an installation of the Book. artisticlanguage. Chinese characters remain in square shapes. The Introduction to Chinese Language. T h e arrangements of components of each Chinese language has a history of more character are constructed in a square from than six thousand years (Zhen, 1983, p. top to bottom, from left to right, and 3).It is the oldest language still being from Gutside to inside. used in the world today.Unlike other languages, Chinese language grows on The Book strictlyfollowsthis itself without the influence from others. pattern of structures to create thousands Chinese language uses images as the basis of newcharacters. Theseretained of a character to combine with sound and structures in the newly invented meaning. This combination forms an characters attracts a Chinese reader to intricate and diversified language system. believe that they are real characters. Since China has the highest population in the world and Chines:,isthe official Codes of Sound. Chinese language is not languageofthecountry, Chinese a phonetic based language nor a language language is used by the greatest number based on images alone. The special of people. In addition, Japan is still using feature is its combination of sound and

IVLA - 221 5 image.This feature began even during nouns have suffixes, such as -tion, -ness, the time of inscriptions on bones. More -ism and so on; adjectives have suffixes and more characters bearing this feature such as -tive, -ful, -less and so on; and were added to the vocabulary.By the adverbshavesuffixessuchas-1y. Cling Dynasty (1644-1911), in the Kang However, in Chinese there are no such Xi dictionary, there were about 49,030 grammatical functions to differentiate the characters which had the combination of features of speech. The form of plural is phonetic and image occupying ninety-two reflected in measure words. The feature percent of the total vocabulary (Zheng, of possessive concepts, changes of tenses, 1983, p. 4).Since so many characters and conditions of mood are characterized have phonetic components, the phonetics by the uses of auxiliary words which is give clues to the sound of characters and "an unstressed form word that performs the image provides thecluestothe the grammatical functions of structure, meanings. tense, or mood (Departmer. of English Language, Foreign Languages The Book retains all the phonetic Institute, 1985, p. 917). Therefore, it is parts of Chinese characters, but newly impossible to tell which word is anoun, invented characters do not carrythe an adjective, or a possessive noun in originalmeaningsofthephonetic Chinese language without knowing the components.Thus, in appearance, they meanings of characters in a sentence.In seem pronounceable but actually they are other words, it is possible to create a fake not. English sentence with correct grammatical structure without retaining the meaning of Codes of Radicals. A Chinese character individual words. For example, "This is is put together by a number of strokes. afuticationthatwasgrotectically Several strokes, when combined become precuted." This made-up sentence invites character components or radicals, which readertobelievethisisinEnglish themselveshavespecificallydefined language simply because the English meanings.Radicals are the essence of grammaticalstructurewasretained. Chinese language.They are originally Though it is not possible to do this in individual, independent words. Whena Chinese, Chinese radicals, square-shaped, radicalbecomesapartofanew wellconstructedcharactersinreal character, it carries its own meaningover paragraphicalarrangements,sentences to the new one, which is influenced by arranged in book page formats provide the meaning of the radical. the syntax patterns or codes of Chinese language. To arrangeallthefake Codes of Grammar.Grammar is the characters in book form, as was done in systemofstructureinalanguage. theBook, invitesChinese-speaking Chinese grammar contains three basic readers to read them.Therefore, the units. They are words, phrases, and fashion by which the Book was presented sentences. English grammar is adds another element for the analysis of characterized by the changes in verbs to the Book (Figure 1). indicate tense; and -s or -esor -ies to showplural. InEnglish,nouns, TraditionalChinesebooksare pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs have protectively covered in wood boardsor in their distinctive features.For example, wood cases.The title is pasted on the 6 IVLA - 222 - ''.:5'540 0 /A4(9%45Pfg', c,' , A,"ete ' Firi , ,:,,,,,,, , et. v,,,,,,, ...,,,,...m.s.,,k4,,:44,.,,,,r,,I,..... ,, fe/,`01. 07, 4,, wV,,/ sw -..:.: . - g ' j . - , ' - ....:' .'::,,,-...... , ., "' ., ' / ,' /ey'` -t,,,". '.4..:.:, v.' 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The whole Rook was kept pattern gets created by the conventions of in a protective wood case (Figure 2 shows production which are repeated daily. The thecomparison of anactualclassic syntax patterns or codes are culturally Chinese book covered in wood boards and constructed.They need to be examined the Book covered in its wood case). The for paradigmatic meanings, which binding of this Book is traditional Chinese supplied by syntax patterns or stitched-binding style.Stitched-binding codes and readers can only work representscenturiesofevolutionin with codes with which they are Chinese book-binding. familiar and they are only familiar with codes that come from the Codes of Installation of the Book.The worlds or paradigms to which they installation of the exhibition was not a have access or which they have traditional one in terms of the usual experienced, in other words, their exhibitions of Chinese prints. The whole culture (DeVaney, 1991). installation clnsisted of three parts: three long, scroll-like strips were suspended or Expert Viewers' Critiques draped from the ceiling in a sweeping arc VariouscritiquesbyChinese (Figure 3 shows the comparison of a critics are used for analysis.Tie codes Chinese scroll and the piece exhibited in in the Book are used to analyze the the Museum); printedsheets of fake critiques of expert viewers in order to characters covered the walls from floor to compare the similarities and differences ceiling; and hundreds of stitch-bound with the interpretations of the Book of the booksintraditionalChineseclassic United States viewers. The analysis also format were laid open in rows on the includes an examination of the expert floor with a number of wooden cases on viewers' readings of the Book at different either end of the rows. The main historical moments. In addition,the exhibition walls were black.To bind a analysis compares the similarities and book in a roll dates back to the earliest differences between the artist's intentions history ofChinese book-binding. and the expert viewers' reception of the Martinique (1983) indicated,"the first Book. example of Chinese written literature to be found was the rolled or folded slips of NoviceViewers'Intervie and bamboo and wood" (p. 65).Therefore, Questionnaire Transcriptions to a Chinese, a book in a roll signifies the The data collected from United traditionalChineseclassics. To an States viewers' interviews and survey are American, it may seem to be a precious transcribed. The poststructural textual ancient document.The installation was analysis consists of an examination of open to the viewers' reactions. United States viewers' responses to the codes in the Book; comparisons of similar In summary,the codes of Chinese and different interpretations of the codes language: images, sound, and meaning; by United States viewers of different phonetic components; radicals; structures subjectpositions(i.e.,age,gender, of Chinese characters; Chinese grammar; profession); and a comparison of United form of the Book; and finally, installation States viewers' responses toward the Book of the Book are actually syntax patterns and those of Chinese critics. which may be called codes.A syntax 8

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IVLA - 226 Interview Transcriptions of the Artist sociallyand culturallyconstructed, A telephoneinterviewanda shared,andcommunicatedbythe videotaped interview with the artist were members of certain communities.Her conducted. Transcriptionsofthe model and these concepts serve as the interviews are analyzed to compare the theoreticalandmethodological similarities and differences between the foundations to investigate the interactions Chinese critics' interpretations and the between and among viewer, artist, and art artist's intentions. The same comparison work. is also made between the United States viewers and the artist. Reader-responsetheory. hasits origin in the theories of literary criticism. Theoretical Foundation Structuralist theoristsbelievethat the meaning of a literary work resides only in Research on educational television the text (i.e., the text has coded messages and computer programs, applying given by the author). Though early reception theory, has been carried out writers Walker Gibson, Georges Poulet, recently.One examc:Le is an analysis of Gerald Prince, and Michael Riffaterre, 17,7tere in the World is Carmen Sandiego. attempted to address the importance of Reception theory was used to examine the the reader in the reading process, their process of creating meaning while using viewswerestilltext-oriented(i.e. an educational computer program meaning is located in the text itself). (DeVaney, 1993, p. 182).By applying Unlike the above structuralist theorists, reception theory, researchers examined "allreader-responsecriticsfocus on such issues as gender, ethnicity, and race. readers during the process of reading" Art work is also a media text that can (Mailloux,1982,p. 20). Reader- initiate interaction between and among the response theory "replaces examinations of viewer, artist, and the art work itself; a text in-and-of-itself with discussions of however, no research using reception the reading process, the 'interaction' of theory has been done on art work. reader and text" (Mailloux, 1982, p. 2). Therefore, DeVaney's model is adapted It examines "the role actual readers play to carry out this research. in the determination of literary meaning, the relation of reading conventions to DeVaney's modelisbased on textual interpretation, and the status of the reception theory as shown in the works of reader itself" (Tompkins, 1980, p. ix). Hans Robert Jauss, Roman Ingarden, Stanley Fish, and Wolfgang Iser (their Historically, Hans Robert Jauss works on reception theory, 1970, 1973, represents the German phenomenological 1985,1978,respectively). DeVaney receptiontheory,whichstressesthe emphasizes that a reader/viewer creates inseparable aspect of the reader and the meaning when interacting with a media textfromahistoricalperspective. textthatis coded and in which the ThoughJausssawtherelationships author's intent is embedded (DeVaney, between author,text,and reader, he 1993). Reading, text, and community of stated them in ? historical connotation. A viewers, the key concepts of reception reader's position is related to the text theory, are defined in DeVaney's model. from a present and historical point of DeVaney also stressesthat codes are view as well. 11 IVLA - 227 Different from Jauss, Wolfgang discussed earlier to carry out suchan Iser's phenomenological reader theory analysis.It allows an investigation of focused on the reader's active meaningmakingbyviewersfrom participation in the production of textual different communities. All these theories, meaning (Tompkins, 1980, p. xv).Iser however,lackexplanationofthe (1978) pointed out that "reading is nota individual reader'ssubjectivity, which direct 'internalization," but a dynamic influences the interpretations of the text. interaction between reader andtext. Though Iser emphasizes thereader's One's subjectivity is created based participation in the readingprocess, he on hie,/her social interactions or relations does not mention the social relations the through society and language.Subjecti- individual reader possesses that influence vityis constructed on different social the meaning creation process.To him, dimensions based on one's gender,age the readerisableto experience the group,family,class,nationality,and meaning creating process provided by the ethnicity (Fiske, 1987). Thus, Fiskesays text.To him, text and reader are still that "subjectivity is the product of social interdependent. relations, whereas individuality isseen as the product of nature, or biology" (Fiske, American reader-response theorist 1987, p. 49). Art works mayor may not Stanley Fish departed from the show subject positions directly, but the phenomenological model of reader theory cultural codes embedded in the works are to a social model that has its belief in the still envisioned by the viewers according social construction of knowledge. In his to their different social and ideological model "the reader was freed from the identities such as gender, age, ethnicity, tyranny of the text and given the central and profession. In short, "meaningsare role in the production of meaning" (Fish, determined socially:thatis,they are 1980, p. 7). He alsc created the concept constructed out of the conjuncture of the of "interpretive communities" .in which text with the socially situated reader" the members share the assumed goals and (Fiske, 1987, p. 80). purposes within the same community. Members in the same community would Analysis agree based on their common interests. By using his concept, an investigationcan Since the objective of the study is be conducted on how meaningsare to apply reception theory to compare and constructed while interacting with the contrast and between and among the Bookby viewers of different age, gender, meanings constructedbyviewersof ethnicity, and profession. In other words, groups differing in age, gender, ethnicity, it answers such a questionas "How does and profession, the analysis begins with this community (group) of viewersreact reader response analysis of theBook, to theBookinstead of "How does an which focuses on how readers interpret individual viewer react to theBook ? ".In theBookaccording to the embedded ordertoinvestigatetherelationships codes and their subjectivity suchas age, between and among artist, viewer, and gender, profession, and ethnicity. As Bookinthepresentstudy,Fish's JohnFiskepointedoutthatone's American adaptation of reader-response subjectivity is socially constructed. Seven theory has more power than theones types of subjectivity are identified: self,

12 IVLA - 228 gender, age-group, family, class, nation, differentfrom doing a scientific and ethnicity (Fiske, 1987, p. 50).For experiment inwhichfeelingsare the purpose of this study, subjectivity of separated from observations (Feldman, age, gender, and ethnicity are selected, 1991, p. 412). When interpreting an art which are believed to have influence on work, one is not looking for the causal viewers' interpretations of the Book.In relationship between the observations and addition, these three types of subjectivity the feelings, one is "looking for an idea are manageablein carryingoutthis that will connect his feelings to each research in terms of identifying them with other, and also connect them with the theproposedresearchmethodology. observations he has been making about Because one's subjectivity is constructed the object" (Feldman, 1991, p.412). based on his/her social relations, for this Therefore, viewers' feelings, impressions, study, profession is also selected as one sensitivity,intuition,intelligence,and typeofsubjectivity. Profession, responsesareimportantelementsof therefore, is defined as the identity of a interpretations. viewer when he/she is being interviewed, for example, a student, a teacher, or a Viewers expressed their emotional retiredengineer. Viewers'social responsestotheBookduringthe positions as reflected in their professions interviews and mail questionnaires. They are believed to show their relationship used many different adjectives to describe with viewers' responses. their feelings.All the viewers indicated that they liked the Book.Five types of Codes described earlier provide emotional reactions to this Book and its accesstotheanalysisofreaders' installation were predominant: viewers responses.The interview questions are were awed and impressed by the efforts designed to obtain the viewers' reaction to and massive amount of work the artist the codes and their feelings about the art had done; they admired the beauty of the work. They are: visual effect of the work; they agreed with the artist's concept of the futility of 1. What feeling do you get when you human efforts; they had feelings of being look at this? in a religious place; and weird feelings 2. Do you like it? aboutwhattheartistaccomplished. 3. What do you like about it? or What do Because of the limited space for this you dislike about it? paper,the details of the analysis of 4. What do you think this is? viewers' emotional responses will not be (the whole piece, theroll,the covered here.For further reading, read banner, and the language) A Reader-Response Analysis of "A Book 5. What does this (or those) remind you from the Sky--A Postmodern Educational of? Enterprise (Ma, 1993). 6. What is your profession?

Observation, appreciation, Conclusions impression, and interaction with an art workisoften a matter of feelings. Conclusions are drawn from the Feelingsareaninseparablepartof analysis and highlight reception theory interpretation. Interpreting an art work is (which is the theoretical foundation for

IVLA)2) the study); viewers' subjectivity and their StanleyFishbelievedinthesocial responses; and intertexuality. It also construction of knowledge. In his version discusses how this study contributes to the of eception theory, "the reader was freed areasof reception theory,education, from the tyranny of the text and given the postmodern art, and Chinese art. central role in the production of meaning" (Fish, 1980, p. 7). When talking about Historical Reading Fish, Jane Tompkins (1980) pointed out From ahistoricalperspective, that"meaningisnot something one accordingtoreceptiontheorist Hans extracts from a poem, like a nut from a Jauss, each reading at different moments shell, but an experience one has in the of time produces different meaning. He course of reading" (p. xvi).Reading is believed that"the historicallife of a then defined in this study as the process literary work is unthinkable without the of creating meaning when viewing A active participation of the addressees" (p. Book from the Sky. The Book isa 19).The analysis showed two readings communication that has been encoded by of the Book by Chinese critics at different socially constructed signs and symbols historical periods resulting in different thatremain dormantuntiltheyare interpretations. Thefirstreading received by the viewer.It is the viewer happened before 4 June 1989 when the who createsthe meaning (DeVaney, atmosphereforcreativityinart and 1990, p. 5). Stanley Fish also created the literature was open and liberal and when concepts of interpretive strategies, which the influence of Western cultures was are shaped by the readings of interpretive strong.Artists interested in postmodern communities.Members' interpretations concepts created their works in styles often agree because of their membership similar to those seen in the Western in the same community. But a reader's countries. When the Book was exhibited "subjectivityisthe product of social in late 1988 and early 1989 in China, relations" (Fiske, 1987, p. 49). positive reviews and critiques appeared in magazines and newspapers.The Book Meanings constructed by different age was once considered as "one of the most groups representative works since the New Wave The analysis showed that viewers of Fine Arts in 1985" (Lin, 1990). After of very young or old ages did not the Tiananmen Square incident on 4 June comment much on the codes.Viewers 1989 when the student movement was between the ages of thirty-one and forty- crushed, theChinesegovernment's five not only made up the largestage control of arts was restored to preserve group in number of interviewees, but also socialist principles for fine arts.Articles theirinterpretationswerethemost of negative criticism appeared in different diverse. They relatedthe Book to journals and newspapers.The criticism Chinese culture, Chinese language, and targets on the purpose of the art work that ancient culture. They also compared the failed to serve the Chinese reality but draped piece on display to banners and followed the Western philosophy and newspapers; the piece pasted on the walls artistic outlook. to the Vietnam War Memorial, microchip data, information; the books on the floor Reader's Construction of Meaning to waves, ripples, water; the exhibition American reception theorist environment tolibraries,theater,and universe;thetypeofarttoDada, In interpretations of the codes of Duchamp, , history, Chinese scrolls in relation to the draped communication, interpretation, and Zen piece in the museum, more male viewers spirit. expressed their thoughts. They compared the draped piece Lo banners, newspapers, Age does seemtoaffectthe oceanwaves,window-dressing, construction of meaning. One extreme is something coming to the earth and from that a viewer of very young or old age is thesky. Fewerfemaleviewers unable to relate much of his/her social commented on the comparison.When position to the text.It is also clear that both gender groups interpreted the codes meanings made by viewers aged between of Chinese paintings, which are the sheets thirty-one to forty-five are more diverse. pasted on the walls, interpretations of Their interpretations represent a spectrum male viewers differed greatly from those of meaningsatdifferentintellectual, offemaleviewers. Maleviewers social, cultural, and other levels.One interpreted the sheets pasted on the wall conclusion is that the closer one's age is asremindersoftheVietnam War with that of the members in an age group, Memorial, ROM code for a computer, the more likely one's interpretation of the and libraries. Female viewers interpreted Book is to agree with meanings made by the sheets pasted on the walls as wall the members in same age group. Except papers, patterns, statements on bathroom this conclusion, the other conclusions walls,and catalogsandinformation. about age cannot be generalized but it is These findings show that these viewers safe to say that age is an important constructed meaning based on things they element in construction of meaning. deal with daily, their observations, and experiences in their lives. Meanings constructed by different gender groups Meaningsconstructedbyviewersof Just as the conclusions about age different professions cannot be generalized, neither can the The analysis shows profession, conclusionsaboutgender,butitis one of the social relations in one's life, interesting to note the role of gender influences one's construction of meaning played in the reading of the Book. The when viewir:, the Book.Artists related analysis shows that more female viewers theirinterpretations totheir world of expressed their feelings of visual beauty learning, knowledge, history, philosophy, of the Book and they showed more and practice.The Book was considered admiration for the wholeness of the piece as conceptual art, movement art, and the efforts the artist put into it than Zen philosophy, theater, movies, and so did male viewers.More male viewers on. A teacher related his interpretation of were interested in the concept of "futility the exhibition tolibraries,which he of human endeavor." Itis extremely thought was importantin alearning importantnotto generalizethese environment. A scientist associated the statements about gender.Essentializing process of making this Book tohis positions are counterproductive.Suffice science training process.A technician ittosaythatthe male and female connected her interpretations to catalogs responses here are unique to this study. and information. And a house wife interpreted the sheets of faked characters

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1.5 on thewalls aswall paper. These knowledge of these other texts. The interpretations demonstrate the influence viewersexist"within thetextuality" of viewers'socialrelations on their (Marshall, 1992, p.136).The reader meaning making processes.Their social becomes a co-producer, a co-collaborator relations play a role in their construction of a text or interpretation.The reader of meanings.They do not rely on the takes on shared responsibility for the text to extract meaning out of itself, but text's"meaning" (Marshall,1992,p. create meaning related to their profession. 135). Viewers of the same profession often tend to agree on their interpretations. Drawing from different discourses, the readings of Chinese critics and United Text States viewers show great variation in Inthisstudy,texthastwo their construction of meaning. meanings. The first is the physical mass of the fake characters and the Book itself. Meanings constructed by Chinese critics Though the characters do not bear any When the Chinese critics read the rr -ngorsound,the Bookisa Book, they located their meanings in communicationcarryingsociallyand Chinese culture, Chinese art, Chinese culturally encoded messages, whichmay language,characters,Chineseprints, be understood and interpreted by viewers scrolls,calligraphy,theoriginand in various ways.The findings of the relationshipof Chinese paintingand study show that viewers interpreted the characters,arrangement of terra-cotta text based on their subjective positions. soldiers, Chineselanguagereform, The other meaning of the "text" is the typography, invention of printing, book- constructed meanings by viewers of the binding,Chinesesociety,andother same subjective positions.Viewers are aspects of Chinese culture and society. drawing upon the discourses in which For example, critic Yin Ji-nan (1988) theyarepositionedtointerpretthe dated the printing process of the Book physical text. Discourses themselves, back to "the tune when Bi Sheng invented may be called texts "writ large." typographyaround 1045, butthe technique is now developed into a kind of Intertexuality unreadable modern print."Critic Wang Intertexuality "suggests that certain Lin (1989) said, "these fake characters meanings of one text are created only by are arranged like terra-cotta soldiers of the existence of related texts" (DeVaney, the Chin Dynasty."Critic Fang Zhou 1987, p. 6).It "calls attention to prior (1990) related the Book to the Chinese texts in the sense that it acknowledges painting and traditional books. "From the that no text can have meaning without point of view of a 'book,'it has the those priortexts,itisspace where beauty of traditional thread binding and 'meanings' intersect" (Marshall, 1992,p. structure of characters; from the point of 128).The Book intertexualizes Chinese view of 'painting,' it also has the beauty classic books, Chinese characters, of visual combination of abstract dots and Chineselanguage,traditionalChinese lines." Thecriticsagreedon the book-binding, Chinese prints, and other interpretations of the Book as Chinese aspects of Chinese culture.How the book,characters,Chinesetraditional viewers read the text depends on their binding, and other features of Chinese

IVLA - 232 16 characters and language. origin and relationship between Chinese paintings and characters and the impact of theseauthentic-lookingbutnon-real Meanings constructed by United States characters on the practice of Chinese viewers calligraphy. The United States viewers read the Book to locate meanings in their culture The intentions of the artist were as well. The codes in it invited them to not well shared by United States viewers. read that with which they are familiar. It is impossible for them to have the real They related the draped pieces in the first-hand feel of the social, cultural, and exhibition hall as banners hanging or political conditions in China when the newspapers. They interpreted the sheets Book was made. Because of the lack of with fake characters pasted on the walls the knowledge of these conditions, they asremindersoftheVietnam War interpreted the installation as a learning Memorial, wall paper, and statements environment, a peaceful place, church, made in public areas.They considered and universe, which are available in their the Book as ancient culture. culture, but not the intention of the artist. Though their interpretations did not match The analysis shows that the Book theintentionsof theartistasthey intertexualizesmanythingsbothin interpreted the codes in the Book, they Chinese culture and other cultures.It is created meanings of these codes out of the reader who takes the responsibility to the context in their own culture.For locate prior texts to create meaning and example,they compared the Chinese write the text when interacting with it. scroll as banners and newspapers and Chinese paintings hanging on the walls to Artist Vietnam War Memorial and wall paper. The analysis of the study shows Thesedifferencesresultedfromthe that the shared cultural, social, political, differences in culture and society and and other positions of the artist and the other aspects. viewers are the important factors that contribute to the interpretation of the Implications of the Study intentions of the artist.Chinese critics not only agreed that the Book is intended This study provides us with a method to to warn people thatitis culture that apply poststructural reader-response restricts them, which is the intention of theory in the analysis of postmodern art the artist, but also they understood the as visual texts.Since postmodern art intended purpose of the special method of work is a visual text carrying embedded installation,whichistomakethe culturalcodeswhichinvitereaders exhibition hall look like a dark prison of (viewers)toread them,thereading words or a sorrowful place.These well activity of the viewer is a process of arranged, designed, and invented producing the meaning of the visual text. characters do attract Chinese-speaking The viewer is to finish the work meaning viewers to believe that they are authentic that a text is not complete until interacted characters.Because of the process of with the viewer who "writes the text," deconstruction and reconstrwtion of the (i.e.,produces meaning of thetext). characters, Chinese critics studied the Interpreting a visual text is not to be an

IVLA - 233 17 individualcritic's own interpretation, about the background and conditions of rather,itis important to recognize the China. interpretation by a community of viewers who share the same subject positions. Postmodern theory of art stresses The study also contributes to the theory that art is a cultural expression."Art is of art criticism in recognizing that it is a collective communication about the impossible to understand postmodern art experience of life in a particular culture" simply by looking at formal qualities as (Grieder, 1985, p. 8).The embedded modern art critics did, because cultural codes in the Book indicate strong postmodern artis a mirror of current cultural expressions. A postmodern art social, political, and cultural awareness; education approach not only recognizes itis in many genres;it is a hybrid of the learning of self-expression techniques multicultures;therearenocohntry but also regulating power of social forces boundaries.This study is particularly (Parks, 1989, p. 13). Thus, education in valuable during "a period of particular postmodern era is not classroom-bound in crisis in art criticism" (Wallis, 1984, p. a traditional sense. A Book from the Sky xi). provides viewers with an opportunity.o confront with cultural images, issues, and In addition, this study gives us a ambiguities. The Book can also be better understanding of contempor"ry art regarded as a medium that facilitated in China.From the years of 5 to liberatory education from a point of view 1989, Chinese art began to reflect social, of critical pedagogy (Ellsworth, 1987,p. political, cultural, and other values.It is 33).Viewing and interacting with the different from artin those stages of Book to create meanings is an educational Chinese history when content determined experience in a museum, which might be form and form served content. The called an open classroom.This open purpose of art then was for the socialist classroom provided viewers or students cause. with the opportunity to reflecton their subject positions and critically view this Through a poststructural textual visual text with political, cultural, and analysis of the Book and the subject artisticnuances. The experience of positioning of the viewers, the study not viewing the Book provided students with only contributes to the understanding of an opportunity to confront visual images the natureoflanguage, meaning from a different culture and toengage construction, and its relationship between issues related to that culture, whichwere socially positioned reader, but also to the embedded in the images. In addition, this understanding of subjectivity, which is study offers an awareness of how global socially produced.The study provides advances in communications and teachers and students with an opportunity technology have changed Chinese art and to be in an open classroom to critically created art without boundaries.In this view this visual text from political, social, respect, the Book serves as a postmodern and cultural nuances. A Book from the educationalvehicleto mixartwith Sky,therefore,possesseseducational technology. value.It not only educates the viewers about the social, political, and aesthetic qualities of the work itself and but also References (1985). A Chinese-English dictionary. Beijing: Commercial Press. Benjamin, W. (1968). The work of art in theageofmechanical Ellsworth, E. (1987). Educational films reproduction.In Benjamin, W. against critical pedagogy. Journal (Ed.),Illuminations,(pp.217- of Education, 169(3), 32-47. 251). New York: Schocken Books. Erickson, B. (1991). Process and meaning in the art of Xu Bing. In Three Burnham,J.(1987). Beyond modern installations by Xu Bing, (pp. 2- sculpture: The effects of science 32). Madison, WI: Elvehjem and technology on the sculpture of Museum of Art. this century. New York: George Braziller. Fang, Z. (1990). Xi shi jian wu jie [Five interpretationsof An Analyzed De Vaney, A. (1987). Reader theories Reflection of the World]. 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