FIVE (Six) THEORIES OF INTERPRETATION
Theory |
Description |
Goal of interpretation |
Problems |
Actual intentionalism |
Meaning of work is what author intended |
What did artist mean? Goal of art is communication |
Unrealized intentions |
Moderate actual intentionalism |
Meaning is author’s realized intentions (in part) |
What did the artist successfully mean? |
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Hypothetical intentionalism |
Meaning determined by most justified account of what some author might have intended |
What a possible author most likely to have meant by this work |
Author’s actual intentions might be very different |
Value maximization |
Interpretation should maximize work’s artistic value |
Goal of interpretation to maximize the rewards of appreciation (consistent with respecting the identity and content of work) |
Goal of interpretation should be to understand art (including its weaknesses) |
Meaning constructivism |
Interpretations create new artworks |
To create significance for the interpreter |
Interpretations (like descriptions or pointing at things) don’t alter what they interpret |
“Best fit view” |
Privileges the interpretation(s) that seems to best fit the text/artwork, independent of artist’s intentions or maximizing artistic value or reading in significance for audiences |
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