This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis tries to answer the question "what does it mean to read?". I have tried to write it from the standpoint of how the work developed; the problems encountered and the solutions that were found form the stylistic theme. Consequently, it is not a neat piece of work delineated into chapters on particular academic areas of the disciplines used, rather topics
are discussed as they are relevant to the problems that I had to face. If the thesis is about comprehension, then it is in itself a good
example of the processes involved - it is as it were my 'reading' of the question mentioned above
