TEXTUAL POWER AND THE SUBJECT OF ORAL INTERPRETATION - AN ALTERNATE APPROACH TO PERFORMING LITERATURE

Contemporary theory in literary and performance studies has significantly effected oral interpretation pedagogy by broadening the idea of "text." Consequently, many oral interpretation courses now feature the analysis and performance of a variety of noncanonical or "nonliterary" verbal art forms. In this essay, we propose to supplement the changes in oral interpretation pedagogy brought about by the introduction of new texts by describing an alternate approach to analyzing and performing texts based on semiotic theory and Robert Scholes' model of reading.