Reader-Oriented Criticism

Reader-Oriented Criticism
This essay will summarize what Reader-Oriented Criticism actually is and how it plays a role with in Friday Night Lights.
First of all, Reader-Oriented Criticism is the interaction of what the text was written to mean and how the viewer reads it, also known as text-reader relationships. “As such, reader-oriented criticism is largely concerned with “potential” as opposed to “actualized” meanings of the text to an audience” (Vande 331). The text throughs out cues on how they would like the text to be read. There are two ways that the text can be presented: “Open text invites you to view it in many interpretations, while Closed text only gives you one view on how to interoperate it” (Dr. M. Camacho). However within Reader-Oriented Criticism text is always left open for the reader to view and understand it however they wish. Once the viewer has started “to subconsciously wonder how the story will go next, entering the space of the show,” then they have entered liminal space (Dr. M. Camacho). Every TV show has its own little implied meanings which is what the implied author wants the implied viewer to subconsciously receive.
From the begging of Friday Night Lights you can tell that the whole town is all about football and Christian faith, who is also the implied author. The director invite you into liminal space at the beginning through the constant movements and angle changes of the cameras making the implied viewer see that the implied author, again the town, is all about football. So not just the whole town, but the whole show is about football, that even you, the real viewer, is alongside the rest of the town waiting for the next game. Thus the implied vier would be each individual players on the team, learning that the whole town is watching them and expecting them to show that football and god are at the same level.
Throughout the show it keeps inviting you in to see it as if you are actually in the game: the whole lighting of the show is all natural with many shadows, like it is when the flood lights are on in the game. When the game actually begins the sound of everything dies down to a whisper, the crowds cheering, the couches yelling, the fireworks up over head, can all barley be heard. However every little grunt and smash would ring through the speakers as if it was ringing though you're own ears, once again putting you on that field, giving and taking those blows. Once the game is done the team stops and prays reminding you that god is just as important as football and that we wouldn't be here today with this victory without him. These are all examples of ways that the Friday Night Lights was written and designed to take anyone, even someone that doesn't care for sports to sit on the edge of their seats by the end of the episode waiting for that touchdown and cheer when ball gets passed that final line.