ABSTRACT
The spirit of individualism that finds expression in the New Literacy is the product of at least three central concepts—meaning, literature, and self—that can be rethought in light of Bruner's shift. As part of Bruner's shift to a constructivist position, he has come to consider meaning as a cultural process rather than the solitary invention of the individual: "culture is as much a forum for negotiating and renegotiating meaning". Major obstacle the New Literacy faces in affecting a Bruner's shift is the special place awarded to literature in fostering literacy and the creation of meaning. Literature might well be thought of as a font for anointing our individuality; it evokes the most vivid and moving expressions of the unique place each of us occupies. The realization and connection of self through literacy forms a theme that runs deeply through the work of J. Britton, A. Smith, Kenneth Goodman, Margaret Meek, and other advocates of the New Literacy.
