Literary Interpretations

Abstract

The failure of meaning interpretations to establish themselves as the proper ways to interpret revelation opens the door to the consideration of relational ones.¹ Indeed, these have become commonplace. But relational interpretations come in a great variety: Freudian, feminist, sociological, historical, psychological, political, philosophical, Christian, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Marxist, Thomist, lesbian, capitalist, personal, materialistic, culturalist, spiritual, theological, and so on. They all have in common that they bring to a text factors provided by the interpreter, who then proceeds to understand the text (interpretation₁) or to compose a text to cause an understanding in the audience for whom the interpretation is being produced (interpretation₂) in relation to these factors.