I have always wondered?

Question

The symbolism and specific interpretations that are to be found in famous literature of the past (in any form) ,How can we know what the authors had intended them to be? For example, when taking a lit class the students are ask to find the symbolisms and interpretatations that are in the piece of literature. How can we know for certain that we have found the symbolisms and interpretations that the author had intended when writing the piece of lit? The authors didn't write explanations of their intent., but yet in lit classes there is supposedly only one correct answer that the students are to find.

Answer 1

Your answerer "MomofGirls" is right on target. There is no single correct answer about what a text means, and if your professor has truly said that there is one meaning, then he or she is a follower of the New Criticism, which was prevalent from the 1950s through the 1970s and promoted "unity" and single meanings within a text.

The best professors are the ones who ask you to open your minds and to use logical thinking skills to analyze a piece of literature (or a piece of music or art or architecture). Symbolism, for example, is a mark of great literature. It often appears in the form of very common, everyday objects mentioned in the text. Did the author mean for those objects to be interpreted symbolically? Maybe, but maybe not. In most cases, those objects are cultural signs, like the tattered quilts in Alice Walker's story "Everyday Use." Two sisters want the quilts: the sister who is homely and will never leave that property wants the quilts for their warmth and everyday use, while the sister who has gone off to college and sees herself as cultured wants to use them as decoration instead of for their practical use. Thus, a reader can respond to the various symbolisms present within those quilts. They are indeed homemade objects, sewn by the sisters' maternal ancestors, and it is up to the reader to decide if they are practical household objects or artistic pieces.

Every writer that I have ever studied or known has said that they never intended to include so much symbolism in their work and that they are surprised to hear an interpretation of their work that they didn't anticipate. However, most writers will agree that they include items or ideas from the culture of the text's setting, and those items can represent much bigger concepts than their actual use in the text.

In your work for the class, find the objects mentioned in the story, determine their literal use in the story, and then think about how they represent something greater, something that can reveal a character trait or a theme or some other aspect of the story. For example, in "A Rose for Emily," Emily Grierson teaches china painting lessons even though china has been mass-produced and imprinted with designs for years; symbolically, Emily is stuck in the past and refuses to adjust to progress. Her refusal to pay taxes because of the former mayor's agreement with her dead father can reinforce this character trait as well as the final scene in which the narrator reveals that Emily has slept with her dead lover's corpse for many years.

Good luck, and give literature another chance.

Answer 2

Some authors actually do write what their symbolism means. They write it in letters; they tell it when asked questions; they write it in their notes.

Some symbolism however is very obvious so that it can only be interpreted one way. See, when a person writes a book and they put in symbolism they want the reader to pick up on it, otherwise there is no purpose to write at all or their purpose is shot, so they write so that readers CAN get the symbolism.

However, some symbolism is not that easily interpreted, and the authors have left no direct notes on what they actually meant, in these cases it is somewhat like scientific fact. The experts (in this case the top intellectuals) collectively agree (more or less) that this means this, and so it is taught and spread and discussed, usually, these people are absolutely correct because they are the smartest and most understanding bunch and therefore end up being right, but of course they COULD be wrong, but it is the collective consensus that states that they are right, and so, if not corrected by the author or some other discovery it is assumed that they are correct. And of course there's really no way to tell if they're wrong either.

Also, part of the fun of symbolic and dissective literature is the debate that ensues over symbols. Symbols aren't totally supposed to be things that are just said and therefore are so, they are also meant so that one can make one's own decision on what they mean and hopefully better oneself through that decision, and they are meant to be disputed and discussed.

I do understand the frustration of it all, believe me, THAT is half my life lol, but this is my best explanation.

Answer 3

Actually there is more than one correct answer. If a student finds symbolism and interprets a piece of literature different from the teacher, all they need to do is back up their findings with proof, from the literature. Many teachers will actually look at what you write and give you points for writing down what you find. The better professors want their students to find their own symbols and make their own interpretations.

Answer 4

I agree with you that there is no definite way to find out that the authors meant what our teachers tell us they did, but there are many factors that are looked at to try to discover what they meant. People who have studied these works also study the lives of the authors, the current events and politics of the times and places where the authors lived, and also other authors who influenced the author in question. All these factors help to determine what the symbols mean and most of the time the experts are probably right.

Answer 5

It is similar to people trying to find symbolism in artwork. There is not one correct answer. An art critic will tell you that this what the artist intended. The artist will say "no I just wanted to paint a nice picture that public will like." Some artist do try to something that is symbolic, but the critics will say something entirely different. Same thing with writing.

Answer 6

i wonder about the same thing. i think it's similar with interpreting what is meant in the bible. i think it's frustrating because things can be interpreted in many different ways in the bible. maybe studying literature generation after generation the symbolisms and interpretations are the ones generally accepted and "handed down"and maybe the ones taught now are correct for this reason. maybe like folk tales handed down?

Answer 7

All of the above. Once your stored then your entire sins are included via Christs sacrifice at the go. The sins you've gotten dedicated and the sins you are going to devote. That is God's atonement. You additionally say sorry while you devote the sin. This is aspect of "figuring out your salvation" It suggests that you just detect your sinning and expectantly you move and sin not more. The Old testomony mannequin had an annual time of atonement while the sacrifice occurred for the cost of sins. There isn't any "sin forgiveness plan. If your a Christian no quantity of sinning will hold you out of heaven, however in case you blatantly sin then you definately (and others) ought to marvel in case you relatively are a Christian given that in case your a follower of Christ, as "christian" implies, you must do the matters that Christ commanded.

Answer 8

A lot of older literature was written for entertainment. Yet, you are right, these conceited teachers and instructors will come up with all sorts of explanations on their own, and by magic you are supposed to come up with the same ideas. Give me a break.

Shakespeare wrote for entertainment in the theater. Sort of a Jay Leno, with a lot of (then) current events presented as part of the story line and thus incomprehensible to us today. Imagine if 250 years from now, literature from today referred to Monica's dress, it won't mean a thing then.

There are indeed people who have studied current events in Shakepeare's time, and thus can explain a lot of his lines in his plays.

I remember some years ago, a sci-fi story, not sure if it was by Asimov.

A man came up with a time machine, and brought W. Shakespeare to this time. He was telling a friend about this, a man who happened to be a professor who taught Shakespearian literature.

The prof was horrified that he hadn't got to meet his idol.

The scientist told him, "You did meet him. He signed up for one of your classes on Shakespeare, and you flunked him, saying he was unable to understand the great and complex meaning behind the plays, so he asked to be sent back."

Answer 9

Actually some authors had to explain to critics that they didn't have THAT in mind.
Sometimes the images and symbols are clear, sometimes are not so. You can study good books about different authors.

Answer 10

The professors just think that there is some hidden meaning in the literature and they think that they are so great that they know what the meaning is supposed to be. Frankly, it's intellectual B-S! The professors think they are gods.