Author, Reader, or Text? (aka Canonicity Slapdown 2005)

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Originally Posted by Ophelia

To that I say : who looks for something , finds it . That is where I must agree that the finding of the meaning of the book lies within the experience of the reader .

-Ophelia-

But to me that's a problem. Assume that you're looking for something hateful etc, and you pick up LOTR...guess what? You find something hateful! I assume that we get back to the 'reader majority' where the 'meanings' are averaged and outliers (opinions that are way, WAY outside the curve) are thrown out.

At one time it was thought ludicrous that stomach ulcers were caused by bacteria, and yet...