What is Interpretation? by Julie Renee Phelan

Aristotle, Greek philosopher

Interpretation, in part, involves personal response, appreciation, critique, historical reception, exegesis, evaluation, and explication. Personal response and appreciation emphasize the intimate, casual, and subjective aspects. Critique and historical reception is the time between the interpreter and work. Exegesis presumes a dense and enigmatic text in need of explanation.

Competent theorists may propose varying models of interpretation. For example, New Criticism is the dominant practice in North America and Britain. A New Critic interpretation is to read poetic text multiple times, and identify the intricacy of artistic forms. The meaning is found in textual elements―images, tropes, tones, and symbols. It values a retrospective analysis. New Criticism is a literary interpretation that highlights the artistic craft while deemphasizing extrinsic matters, such as morality, psychology and politics. Although New Criticism was selected to demonstrate a practice of interpreting, many other theories may have served. The relationship between interpretation and literature continues to be a preoccupation.

Work Cited

Leitch, Vincent B., ed. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2010.

Related Publications―

1st.  Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/theory-and-criticism-by-julie-renee.html

2nd. What is Interpretation? by Julie Renee Phelan @ this publication.

3rd. What is Literature? by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/what-is-literature.html

4th. Classical Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/classical-theory-and-criticism.html

5th. Medieval Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/medieval-theory-and-criticism-by-julie.html

6th. Renaissance and Neoclassical Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/renaissance-and-neoclassical-theory-and.html

7th. Romanticism Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/romanticism-theory-and-criticism-by.html

8th. Marxism Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/marxism-theory-and-criticism-by-julie.html

9th. Psychoanalysis Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/psychoanalysis-theory-and-criticism-by.html

10th. Formalism Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/formalism-theory-and-criticism-by-julie.html

11th. Reader Response Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/reader-response-theory-and-criticism-by.html

12th. Structuralism and Semiotics Theory and Criticism, by Julie Renee Phelan @ http://www.dantealighierithedivinecomedy.com/2012/06/structuralism-and-semiotics-by-julie.html