Consciously ambiguous

On some aesthetic-cognitive aspects of poetry reading

Abstract

Ambiguity, as an outstanding property, of an essential part of poetry has generated multiple theoretical debates about its nature and function. This discussions, ranging from the emphasis on clearing up its effects to the celebration its presence. From the interpretive triangle represented by the author, the reader and the text, this article proposes a route through the different analyzes that, since the mid-twentieth century, have addressed the category and idea of ambiguity in literary studies. After this, we will approach to the pragmatics synthesis in which these three vertices converge. Once situated in this framework, we will try to show how some proposals from cognitive approaches have helped to understand a very important part of the processes involved in reading poetry (beyond those explained by formalist, intentionalist or textualist perspectives), but not yet to explain why the ambiguity can be consciously appreciated.