Re: Thinking with Jim and Robbie

I could provide quotations by C.S. Lewis, T.S. Eliot, or perhaps copy
the text of e-mail I get from an author I correspond with occasionally.
He's hardly a hack either -- he's been publishing novels for 20 years,
and just had one released. Doesn't sell big, but writes well.

I'm not saying that all authors think this way, but I am saying that all
authors don't think the way you do, either.

I suspect our disagreement may stem, though, from (maybe?) you thinking
that I believe a literary text can mean _anything_? No, I never said
that. I simply said it can mean, legitimately, something other than
what the author intended. But I do believe literary texts do have a
limited range of potential meanings.

Jim

Scottie Bowman wrote:

> '...Most of the authors I've spoken to or read about
> are aware that their texts are legitimately subject to
> a wide range of interpretations ...'
>
> Cross your heart & hope to die?
>
> I don't believe you. Not 'legitimately' subject, etc.
> Not real writers. Not unless they were one of your
> zombied students taking Fourth Year 'Advanced
> Creative Compostion.'
>
> Scottie B.
>
> -
> * Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
> * UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH

-
* Unsubscribing? Mail majordomo@roughdraft.org with the message
* UNSUBSCRIBE BANANAFISH
Received on Mon Oct 28 21:51:16 2002