|
|
Article: FOR THEORY: MODERNISM, INTENTIONALITY AND CONTEXT.
- Article from:
- The Romanic Review
- Article date:
- May 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Columbia University. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
1. Introduction: Modernism and the Need for an Interpretive Theory
In this essay I would like to look at the way modern poetry conveys meaning, arguing that its interpretation has little to do with intentions imputed to the author, and much to do with a particular kind--or kinds--of context.
Regarding authorial intentionality I will refer to the valuable essay in the Autumn 1992 issue of Critical Inquiry by George Wilson,(1) who sets out to refute the argument of S. Knapp and W. Michaels in their 1982 article "Against Theory."(2) Wilson tells us that the latter argue against the distinction commonly recognised between "what an expression [generally] ...