Publication Date

8-1977

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

James Pease, Carley Dodd, Carl Kell

Degree Program

Department of Communication

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

The interpretive-rhetorical situation was formulated by blending Lloyd Bitzer's concepts of the rhetorical situation with contemporary interpretation theory. interpretation is momentary, the foundation established as The concept of as a suasory speech act in the sense that it transactional, and intentional, established for theory formation. The key concept an application for the interpretive-rhetorical situation was that it formed a cohesive framework for guiding post performance aspects of interpretation, especially performance criticism and experimental research. An experimental study was conducted, testing the newly formed breakdown of the traditional interpretation elements of writer, reader, and audience into the constituents of exigency, audience and constraints. Statistical analysis revealed that favorable audience evaluation of an interpreters theatre production corresponds to a significant change in the interpreters' perception of their character. The study indicates that an interpretation performance provides a valuable method whereby an interpreter comes to a better understanding of the literature he performs. Hence, the delineation provided by the interpretive-rhetorical situation proved to be valuable in establishing a more precise understanding of the nature of the audience--interpreter interactions.

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Communication | Mass Communication | Performance Studies | Playwriting | Rhetoric and Composition | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Theatre and Performance Studies

Download

Share

COinS