“Getting the Point” of Literature: Relations Between Processing and Interpretation

Comparisons of literary experts and novices indicate that experts engage in interpretive processes to “get the point” during their reading of literary texts but novices do not. In two studies the reading and interpretive processes of literary novices (undergraduates with no formal training in literature study) were elicited through think-alouds during reading and a post-reading interview task. Twenty undergraduates read one of two short stories...