Texts, Readers, and Enacted Narratives

Abstract

My paper is about writers, readers, and the enactment of roles in society. My point of departure is the notion of the "textual community," which is essentially a group of people who have a common understanding of a text, spoken or read, and who organize aspects of their lives as the playing out of a script. I discuss the meaning of "text" in this context, the problem of reading, and some of the behavioral principles which lie behind the personal or group narratives.