Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
Why does the author get the final say? We can only read and evaluate what ended up on the page, not what the author says he or she intended.
|
You are certainly can say what a work says or means to you. That's part of the fun of reading a book, listening to music or watching a movie. But that isn't to say that what it means to you is what the work _means_, i.e. the one true meaning of the work. That's the difference. The professor is trying to telling the class what the work _means_. The author is the only person in a position to say what the work was intended to mean.