To what extent should a reader consider the author's intention in producing the work? Is the reader's individual relationship to the written work more important than the author's intended effect? Does the author have any right to dictate what the work should mean to the reader? Or, can the author only provide an interpretation of their own work and leave the rest to the reader? Consequently, are all interpretations of a written work, however absurd, valid and worthwhile? Whose opinion matters more?
I really like this topic. An author's intent is important. – Tigey8 years ago
One thing: your title seems leading. – Tigey8 years ago
Authorial intent is a massive can of worms - one that I hope someone has the guts to open. I would love to see this article written, but I do caution anyone that tries will risk earning the ire of literature PhD's everywhere. – Tarben8 years ago
It's important that people read and interpret things on their own but also with knowledge of the culture the writer was producing in and that's what should be focused on. – Slaidey8 years ago
To do this topic justice, it'll be necessary for whoever writes this topic to discuss the importance of New Criticism, namely the theoretical contributions of John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, Cleanth Brooks, Robert Penn Warren, I.A. Richards, T.S. Eliot, Stanley Fish, and particularly William Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley (for their essay "Intentional Fallacy," which is about precisely this). – ProtoCanon8 years ago
Tarben, is the "can of worms" you mention the tension between old historicism and New Criticism, or something else/more? – Tigey8 years ago
It would be interesting to look at Wolfgang Iser's reader response theory in relation to this too. – Lauren Mead8 years ago
The author's intention is really important, for instance if you want to do Thomas Hardy or Sylvia Plath, you need to understand how they feel...otherwise you'd end nowhere. – Anya8 years ago
As mentioned above, it's definitely worth reading up on Literary Criticism before attempting this (and even then, there has never really been one definitive answer to this question). It's definitely worth checking out Roland Barthes' "Death of the Author" as that has been the, possibly now slightly outdated, backbone of the authorial intent debate for a while! – LucyViolets8 years ago