Sharing information through book reviews in blogs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to research on information sharing by drawing on the reader-response theory developed by Louise Rosenblatt. To this end, information sharing is approached by examining how bloggers communicate their reading experiences of fiction and non-fiction books. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual framework is based on the differentiation between efferent and aesthetic reading stances specified by Rosenblatt. The efferent stance directs attention to what is to be extracted from reading for instrumental purposes such as task performance. The aesthetic stance focuses on what is being lived through during the reading event. Rosenblatt’s framework was elaborated by specifying eight categories of efferent reading and six categories of aesthetic reading. The ways in which bloggers communicate their responses to such readings were examined by scrutinising a sample of 300 posts from two book blogs. Findings The bloggers mainly articulated responses to efferent reading by sharing information about the content of the reviewed books, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Responses to aesthetic reading were mainly articulated by describing how the bloggers experienced the narrative, what kind immersive experiences they had and what kind of emotions were felt during the reading process. Research limitations/implications As the study is explorative in nature and focusses on a sample of blog posts, the findings cannot be generalised to depict how people share their responses to efferent and aesthetic reading in social media forums. Originality/value The paper pioneers by examining the potential of Rosenblatt’s theory in the study of sharing information about reading experiences in book blogs. The findings demonstrate that the categories of efferent and aesthetic reading can be elaborated further for the needs of information behaviour research.

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a School Reading

This chapter aims to develop a new analysis formula and a new language of literary school education/teaching literature, especially the language of reading engagement functionalized in terms of emotional, social, and cultural needs that literature is capable of satisfying. This applies also to young readers. The starting point is the specificity of emotional and sensory reception of literary narration (e.g. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by R. Dahl) in which vivid, multisensory mental imagery absorbs/engages many readers (also on the principle of intersubjective cooperation). Discussion in this chapter is based on three issues: transactional theory of reading response (with aesthetic and efferent reading); individual, personal, and private interpretations; and analysis of types of affect in reception. It also proposes a description of the process of pupils' cognitive activities, recognize mental images, understanding metaphors, and express emotions.