How to use Literature as a Mirror : Anne Michael’s ‘Letters from Martha’ from a Reader-response Perspective

This essay examined the connection between human experience and the interpretation of literature. The aims were to find out how expectations, experiences and knowledge colour our interpretations, and to get an understanding of how the meaning of literature is created and mirrored by the reader. Previous studies have been made on reader-response theory, but studies that focus on teacher-student relationship and their cooperation when studying literature have not been found. This essay attempts to introduce how teachers can relate to students’ responses and interact reader-response theory in their teaching, opening up for using personal viewpoints. This would create a greater understanding and empathy among students, and hopefully make reading a more stimulating and joyful experience. Seminars were conducted with students from upper secondary schools in southern Sweden, where students got to read the poem ‘Letters from Martha’ by Anne Michaels. Reader-response theory was used to explore the students’ interpretations of the poem. Additionally, students were encouraged to personalize their reading and made aware about the endless possibilities of interpreting a text, where no interpretation is more correct than the other, from a reader-response point of view. The study showed that when the students were motivated to submit their personal interpretations, they felt that reading poetry in school was an enjoyable and fulfilling activity