The significance of the encounter: A case of Literary Actualization in "Dos cuentos católicos" of Roberto Bolaño

Abstract

This work has a double purpose: 1) to examine Wolfgang Iser's concept of Literary Actualization and contrast it with the theoretical approach of E.D. Hirsch and Stanley Fish, and 2) to illustrate Iser?s concept through a short story by Roberto Bolaño. While contemporary theorists of literature cannot deny the importance of the reader in the construction of meaning and significance, postmodern literature has also acknowledged the theoretical presence of the reader within the literary process. “Dos cuentos católicos” exemplifies through its diegetical structure the endeavors of the author to recognize the importance of the reader's reception.