Which Is Correct: My Interpretation or the Author's?

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 When we read literature or appreciate a work of art, one of the most fundamental questions we ask is, "What is the true meaning of this work?" And that question quickly leads to the question, "Which interpretation is more correct: the author's or my own?" This question isn't simply a question of "who is right?" but also a philosophical debate surrounding where meaning is generated.

 

Authorial Intention: Power as the Source of Meaning

 

The idea of "authorial intention" has long been central to the history of literary interpretation. A work was seen in classical criticism as the result of the author's thoughts, feelings, and worldview being communicated through language. As a result, it was thought that comprehending the significance of the work required examining the author's personal experiences, social background, and historical backdrop. According to this viewpoint, the "correct interpretation" is the one that most faithfully reestablishes the author's meaning.

 

This viewpoint highlights the impartiality of interpretation. The work may become corrupted and lose its original meaning if the reader's subjectivity or emotions become overly involved. As a result, the reader immerses themselves in the author's universe and continues to act as a "interpreter," adopting his vocabulary and ideas. According to this interpretation, literature is a closed system that strives for a single reality: the author's aim.

 

Reader's Interpretation: Re-creating the Meaning

 

But this linear viewpoint has been challenged by the growth of contemporary literary criticism. Critics have been making the claim that "the meaning of a work is reborn through the reader's reading process" since the middle of the 20th century. The emphasis of interpretation changed from the author to the reader with the rise of so-called reader-response critique and reception aesthetics.

This perspective holds that a book is not a repository of predefined meaning, but rather an open space that only comes to life when the reader's experiences, memories, and emotions are included. In other words, even though the author's intended message may already exist, the reader's interpretation completes it. Even the same work can have completely different meanings depending on the reader's cultural background, language skills, and emotional condition.

This stance acknowledges the subjectivity and diversity of interpretation. Rather than asserting that some interpretations are "wrong," it acknowledges that they "may be different and right" for other customers. Instead of being a text with a single correct response, a work allows for countless interpretations, and the viewer is a co-creator of its meaning.

 

The Autonomy of Text and the Balance of Interpretation

 

However, there are requirements that must be met before reader-centered interpretation is approved. Texts contain inherent structures, linguistic order, and semantic boundaries. The original context and grammatical sequence of the work could be destroyed by an interpretation that completely ignores the author's purpose. Therefore, interpretation must be seen as a process of finding a balance between the author's intention and the reader's response, albeit a tense one.

The crucial concept here is the autonomy of the text. The moment a text leaves the author's hands, it is open to the reader yet simultaneously maintains its own order and logic. Therefore, "correct interpretation" is established at the point where three elements—the author's intention, the reader's response, and the structure of the text itself—achieve a balance. In other words, the truth of interpretation is not monopolized by any one party, but is formed within the "interpretive triangle," where the three entities meet.

 

The Essence of Interpretation: Dialogue

 

"Who is right?" ultimately oversimplifies the substance of literature. Literature is a sphere of conversation where different points of view coexist rather than a discipline that is always looking for the correct solution. Interpretation is a process of extending meaning through discussion between various viewpoints rather than rejecting the opposing viewpoint. Although a work begins with the author's goal, the reader's perception gives that meaning life in the here and now.

Therefore, the value of literature is found not in the fixedness of meaning, but in its fluidity. Work resonates differently with each reader, giving rise to new interpretations. This multiplicity of interpretations is not confusion, but richness. Literature itself is the language of human experience, translated anew by each reader, in every era.

 

How To Understand Rather Than Who Is Right

 

As a result, literature's value lies in its fluidity rather than its fixed meaning. Every reader responds to work in a different way, leading to various interpretations. This diversity of perspectives is rich rather than confusion. Every reader, every time, translates literature, which is the language of human experience, in a different way.

The question, "Which is correct, my interpretation or the author's?" ultimately has only one answer. At the same time, both interpretations are only half correct. The reader leans to the meaning that the author has sowed through their own perspective. Between them, the poem lives and breathes, constantly inspiring new readings.

 

By Staff Reporter Kim Soomin (2-1)