Stanley Fish Argues Against Older Understandings of Media and Literature

question 54

Multiple Choice

Stanley Fish argues against older understandings of media and literature, which held that a text is unchanging and universal. But although he argues that each member of an audience can interpret and so "create" a work, he doesn't claim that each audience member has absolute freedom to interpret in unique ways because:

• A) each member of an audience is part of a larger interpretive community.
• B) the author or creator of a work imposes his own ideas on the audience.
• C) the "texts" an audience consumes are transmitted unaltered and absorbed straight into their consciousness.
• D) most members of an audience have specialized training that allows them to understand what an author means.
• E) the mass media can influence the public by the way stories are presented.

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Definitions:

Marginal Revenue

The increase in revenue that results from selling one additional unit of a product or service.

Demand Curve

A graph showing the relationship between the price of a good and the amount of that good that consumers are willing to purchase at various prices.

Elastic Segment

A portion of the demand curve where consumers are highly responsive to changes in price, indicating elasticity.

Total Revenue

The total amount of money received by a company for goods sold or services provided during a specific period.