This book offers teachers a convenient means of broadening their understanding of reader response theory and criticism and applying this theory to the teaching of literature in high school and college classrooms. The book is designed to arouse individual teachers' interest in reader response theory and encourage them to apply it to their teaching. The book covers the various branches of reader response theory, the key ideas of its many proponents, and the advantages and disadvantages of each branch of theory as perceived by critics. Individual chapters include: (1) Introduction; (2) Textual Theories of Response; (3) Experiential Theories of Response; (4) Psychological Theories of Response; (5) Social Theories of Response; (6) Cultural Theories of Response; and (7) Applying Theory to Practice: Making Decisions about Eliciting Response. (A glossary of key terms in reader response theory along with an extensive bibliography covering the many facets of the entire field are appended.) (HB)