GOOD-ENOUGH READING - MOMENTUM AND ACCURACY IN THE READING OF COMPLEXFICTION

This paper describes one clement of the reading act as it operates in time. It illustrates how renders of complex fiction engage in a good-e nough reading in which they strike a personal balance between the need for momentum and the need for accountability to the text. The illustr ations of this concept are drawn from retrospective protocols provided by thirty-three readers, ranging from eighth grade to Ph.D. level, fo llowing two readings of the novel Wolf by Gillian Cross. The second re ading was followed by a discussion of the book as a whole. Ail oral re sponses were taped and transcribed. The examples of good-enough readin g appeared in many forms and in the responses of many different reader s. Specifically, renders demonstrated the need for provisional underst andings, the ability to take note and move on, the role of affective s ubstitution, and the reading through and against misunderstandings.