[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

This community we are in has its own rules on interpretation (e.g. LotR is not an allegory, it is not racist, it is not sexist) and if we break one of those rules then 'personal experience' holds no water.

I disagree. If an individual's own interpretation breaks one of these "rules of interpretation", that may cause others to disagree but it will not necessarily change the personal meaning to the individual, if it is genuinely and strongly held. I accept that there will be a (limited) degree of objectivity in consensus (and some benefit in subscribing to the consensus, for exampe in the exam situation which you mention), but the individual still retains the right to find their own meaning which does not follow the consensus, just as others have the right to disagree with it.

EDIT: I should add that the "rules of interpretation" which you mention are themselves derived from the experience of the reader or, in this case, a consensus of reader's experiences.