Negotiating the meanings of literary texts. Communication in reading groups.
Both, participants of reading- groups, who are meeting in person (face-to face) and participants of online reading forums, who are communicating virtual (online), choose a book, read it and talk about it. The goal of this project is a fundamental analysis of this kind of vivid literature focused forms of conversation, which is based on communication-, interpretation- and evaluation processes that are active during those forms of conversation. We lay emphasis on individual reader challenges, reward expectations and contents and strategies of communication within group discussions on a micro basis. On a macro basis we focus on impacts of literary traditions on reading groups and online reading forums. Such is represented in form of the canon (i.e. reading lists, interpretations) and the current literary discourse (i.e. reviews, book tips, interviews).
The gathering, processing and analysis of qualitative data is based on a two-step system: Based on previous research and results about the face-to-face reading groups we will develop our approach for the online reading forums. Reading groups will be chosen by following criteria: local affiliation (Austria), language of communication (German), focus of reading matter (literary texts), degree of involvement on the book market (no expertise of relevant professions), gender (mixed groups), age (wide variety of age groups). The choosing of online reading forums depends on the type of literature and the language of communication (should be German as well). The data will be collected through participant observations of 36 book discussions (face-to face and online) and a standardized survey of members of reading groups and online reading forums. The goal is to compare those two popular forms of communication about books, whereat we concentrate on similarities and differences a) between motivation, expectation etc. of both group and form members and b) between forums of discussion according to structure, contents and context (social and literary).
Although reading groups and online reading forums are highly popular and still growing in Austria and Germany there is no scientific research to date. This project aims to fill this gap and hopes to contribute to the study of percipient orientated literature as well as book studies and reader research. In the focus of this project are adult readers and their literary readings at the intersection between esthetic and social influences and claims as well as current popular forms of social reading as a significant literary communication and connection phenomenon. The goal of this project is a overview of contents and forms of how reading groups generate and communicate values, valuations and evaluations of literature.
