"The Reader and the Text: Transaction and Reaction in Cormier's After the First Death"

In this scholarly article, written by Hugh Agee and Eugenia Vazey, the authors explore the narrative ambiguity of After the First Death through the lens of student responses. Drawing from writing produced by his college class of English education majors, Agee and his co-author draw upon Louise Rosenblatt's transactional theory and address the personal dimension of the literary transactional experience. Specifically, they contrast the author's intention with the reader's personal response and interpretation. That is to say, where two interpretations are possible, what should hold sway - the author's plan or the reader's feelings? Agee's conclusion - the best interpretation is based on textual evidence.

Hugh Agee's letter to Robert Cormier

Robert Cormier's draft response to Hugh Agee