The study investigates the significance of the application of Wolfgang Iser’s reader-response theory for analyzing the interactions between a play entitled Streetcar Named Desire and the readers. Iser’s theory provides an explanation on how responses of any text read by the readers are shaped based on Iser’s three phases as the basis of reader-text relationship (the process of anticipation and retrospection, the consequent unfolding of the text as a living event and the resultant impression of lifelikeness). Thus, this research performs in-depth interviews to English Department students of Sebelas Maret University. The analysis showed that mostly the readers’ responses were still limited at the comprehension level caused by their lack of cultural and language background of the literary work. Finally, this research concluded that the drama as an example of American literature was still perceived by the readers as their new experiences of second language instead of their engagements.
Keyword: reader-response criticism, transactional reader-response criticism, Streetcar Named Desire.
