IMAGINARY READER

 

Yesterday, I sat down to write something and a random thought approached me. Who will be reading what I am going to write?. I thought about some of my friends who usually read whatever I write and pass comments. Thinking about the imaginary reader emboldens the writers, I guess. This consciousness can turn reading from a passive approach towards text to an engaged, reflective dialogue over time.

An author, when making a decision regarding the writing, is releasing his own mental imagery of a consumer of his work. This imaginary reader may be more like a group of readers that are supposed to think a certain way or that share specific ideas of understanding with the author. The consciousness of writers and readers can turn reading from a passive approach towards text to an engaged, reflective dialogue across time. By acknowledging this presence, we come to appreciate literature as a living conversation rather than something that is solidified. Adnu asked me one day about this when we were roaming around at night in Bangalore. We discussed about fiction and nonfiction. That time also I thought about the fiction writers, whether they had written their works by considering the imaginary writers or not. The imaginary writers have a fictional birth. The fictional nature of the imaginary reader has a strong connection with reader-response theory, which primarily studies a reader's role in crafting the meaning of a text. Some works highlight the complexities of writing for an audience that shares some similarities with the author but also has its own unique differences.

The relationship between an author’s imagined reader and the actual audience can be unstable at times. There are instances where readers completely miss the author’s intent, leading to some wild interpretations. This disconnect between the author’s fantasy and the real-world audience highlights the  nature of how texts are received and the journey they take once they leave the author’s grasp. There is a high possibility that literary fiction might consider a reader who is open to ambiguity and connotative meaning also. Ending this here. Will blabber more about this when I sit down to write.