The Magnificent Walter Ong: His take on writer/reader fictionalization

Walter Ong's essay, "The Writers's Audience Is Always a Fiction," focuses on the relationship between the writer and his/her audience. Most would agree that the study of rhetoric would be the go-to subject when approaching this unique association, however, not one particular scholar has fully examined "the question of the readers' roles called for by a written text" (Ong, 9). Who would think that the role of the reader surpassed the actual event of reading? Is the reader that important that such an examination is needed? To be sure, Ong believed so.

He begins by stating that verbal communication can be simplified into the "printed word" (Ong, 10),  and because of this, it is important to understand the placement of the audience in relation to the writer. It is a given that the writer is most likely by himself when creating/writing a work, and his audience is absent at that current time. Under these circumstances, the audience receives no context, or "actuality," (Ong, 10) of the situation (unlike the audience with a present speaker), and is practically thrown into the black ink depths of typed word onto paper.



Questions begin to arise here: Does this change the way one should read? How should a reader feel when picking up a random piece of text to peruse? Are there certain qualifications a reader must embody when taking on the role as reader? According to Ong, there is a "game of literacy" that has come about in which readers must conform themselves to the projection of the writers they read (Ong. 12). As readers, we agree to invent ourselves into a nonexistent audience (this could be considered a qualification as a reader).

In reference to the writers position, we can conclude that that person "fictionalizes" (Ong, 11) his audience a.k.a the readers, and in all honesty, he/she has no choice but to find their own audience. This can prove to be quite a daunting task, and that is why only the great writers stick. However, Walter Ong brings up a valid solution when it comes to fictionalizing your intended audience. He proposes that the writer, which can be anyone (because he gives an example of a elementary school style prompt), can basically situate himself/herself in a previous writers shoes by taking on their "voice, and with it, their audience" (Ong. 11). This is an ongoing cycle, and will continue to be since it proves to be quite effective. You have to start somewhere, and why not find a common ground with an author/writer of your liking.

The Hemingway example in Walter Ong's essay proves many things: Hemingway takes advantage of the fact that we all have similar/shared experiences, and can fill in the blanks (or recall these experiences) while we take on the role as the reader. What is also pretty fascinating about Ong's analysis of Hemingway's style is his realization of indefinite and definite articles. Aside from being knowledgeable of the relationship between the writer and the reader, Ong provides helpful tips for the position of writer and reader throughout this work.

Following the reading on Hemingway's work, more questions come to mind: Do all writers demand a certain type of reader? Has there always been a demand? Has the demand changed over time? Are the signals of these demands apparent, and do they vary for different types of writers/works? Who is in control? The writer, the reader, or both?

The answers to the above questions vary depending on the person, but one thing we can conclude and be sure of is that "direct communication by script is impossible," and the actuality is for the reader to conjure up.

Works Cited: 
Ong, Walter J. “The Writer’s Audience Is Always a Fiction.” PMLA 90 (1975): 9-21. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org/stable/461344.