Interpretation

Interpretation is the exposition of a literary work, the disclosure of its meanings, its ideational-figurative content, and its aesthetic value. Interpretation is the central procedure of literary studies, combining analysis (the division of a text into elements) with synthesis (the grasping of an integral meaning). Its theoretical grounding is provided by hermeneutics. Different methodological schools propose different strategies of interpretation: biographical, psychoanalytic, formal-structural, receptive, deconstructive, and cultural. The problem of the limits of interpretation arose acutely in the 20th century: while reception aesthetics and deconstruction emphasize the plurality and openness of readings, Umberto Eco ('The Limits of Interpretation') warns against the arbitrariness of 'overinterpretation,' upholding the rights of the text. Interpretation is always historical and dialogic: each epoch rereads the classics anew. The art of interpretation is the basis of literary education.