Wolfgang Iser

Wolfgang Iser (22 July 1926 – 24 January 2007) was a German literary scholar. Wolfgang Iser was born in Marienberg, Germany. His parents were Paul and Else (Steinbach) Iser. He studied literature in the universities of Leipzig and Tübingen before receiving his PhD in English at Heidelberg with a dissertation on the world view of Henry Fielding (Die Weltanschauung Henry Fieldings, 1950). A year later, Iser was appointed as an instructor at Heidelberg and in 1952 as an assistant lecturer at the University of Glasgow. There, Iser began to explore contemporary philosophy and literature, which deepened his interest in inter-cultural exchange. He subsequently lectured in many other parts of the world, including Asia and Israel. He died in Constance. He was married to Lore Iser. Iser is known for his reader-response criticism in literary theory.