Stuart Hall's reception theory;
This considers how texts could be encoded with meaning, placed their by producers with the expectation that they will be decoded by audiences.
- Producers construct a text that is encoded with a message or meaning,
- Audiences either correctly decode the message and understand what the producer is trying to say,
- Or they reject/fail to interpret the message correctly.
There are three types of audience decoding;
- Dominant of preferred - as the producer wants,
- Negotiated - audience accepts, rejects of refines elements of the text,
- Oppositional - dominant meaning is recognised but rejected.
In conclusion, reception theory attempts to explain the ways in which an audience views the text and it's meaning.