Intention and Interpretation: A Short History

Intention and Interpretation: A Short History PDF

Author: Ralf Grüttemeier

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2022-02-07

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 3110767856

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Intention plays a complex role in human utterances. The interpretation of literary texts is a strong case in point: for about two hundred years there have been conflicting views about whether, and how much, authorial intention should matter when professional readers interpret literature. These debates grew increasingly fierce during the post-World War II period, the landmarks of which were the notions of intentional fallacy and the death of the author. Seventy-odd years later, there is still no consensus in sight. What has always been neglected in the debates around authorial intention, however, is a reflection on the historical dimension of the debate and how historically bound each of the theoretical positions in the debate were. This book focusses precisely on the historical dimension of authorial intention, providing a systematic historical reconstruction of the importance ascribed to it in literary texts from Classical Greece to the present day, and including a chapter on authorial intention in jurisdiction and legal interpretation from a historical perspective. The book reconstructs a typology of the most important concepts of intention in interpretation for diachronic and synchronic use. At the same time it offers insights from a field-theoretical perspective into how literary studies as a discipline works over time and how notions of intention and interpretation help create forms of literary knowledge.

Literary Intention, Literary Interpretations, and Readers

Literary Intention, Literary Interpretations, and Readers PDF

Author: John Maynard

Publisher: Broadview Press

Published: 2009-04-17

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 1551118971

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This accessible, personal, and provocative study returns to the major subject in literary discussion before and during the relatively recent flourishing of literary theory, that of literary intention. Does the author’s personal intention or historical site determine a correct interpretation of a literary work? Probing the entire range of issues connected with this many-faceted and knotty concept, this book engages with interpretation on both theoretical and practical levels. It argues that the hard questions about interpretation connected to issues of intention cannot be sidestepped or ignored. It does not argue for conservative concepts of literature itself, nor against the major historical engagements of critics in our time. But in addressing those who continue to read or teach literature, it does insist on a level of sophistication in issues of literary interpretation that cannot be assured by historical research and knowledge of the social and cultural connections to literary works. The overall aim of the work is to recall readers to the great complexity, pleasure, and interest of literary interpretation.

Hermeneutics: A Very Short Introduction

Hermeneutics: A Very Short Introduction PDF

Author: Jens Zimmermann

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2015-10-22

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0191508543

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Hermeneutics is the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, a behaviour that is intrinsic to our daily lives. As humans, we decipher the meaning of newspaper articles, books, legal matters, religious texts, political speeches, emails, and even dinner conversations every day . But how is knowledge mediated through these forms? What constitutes the process of interpretation? And how do we draw meaning from the world around us so that we might understand our position in it? In this Very Short Introduction Jens Zimmermann traces the history of hermeneutic theory, setting out its key elements, and demonstrating how they can be applied to a broad range of disciplines: theology; literature; law; and natural and social sciences. Demonstrating the longstanding and wide-ranging necessity of interpretation, Zimmermann reveals its significance in our current social and political landscape. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Intention

Intention PDF

Author: G. E. M. Anscombe

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2000-10-16

Total Pages: 110

ISBN-13: 9780674003996

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Intention is one of the masterworks of twentieth-century philosophy in English. First published in 1957, it has acquired the status of a modern philosophical classic. The book attempts to show in detail that the natural and widely accepted picture of what we mean by an intention gives rise to insoluble problems and must be abandoned. This is a welcome reprint of a book that continues to grow in importance.

How Can We Know What God Means

How Can We Know What God Means PDF

Author: J. Gracia

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2001-09-21

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 0230109217

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In spite of the growth of secularization, technology, and science, statistics tell us that religious conversions are on the rise, and the number of people who take religion and divine revelation seriously is at an all-time high. This phenomenon, curiously enough, has increased rather than decreased both inter and intra-religious conflicts: Protestants fight Catholics in Northern Ireland; Serbian Greek Orthodox fight with Kosovo Moslems in Yugoslavia; Jews fight with Moslems in Palestine; Hindus fight with Moslems in India - and the list is seemingly endless. There is bitter disagreement also in dealing with revelation, even within the same religious traditions and with regard to the same scriptures: Liberal Christians reject the literal interpretation of the Christian scriptures favored by Evangelicals; many Protestant groups do not accept the role of tradition in interpretation which Roman Catholics consider essential; Orthodox Jews strictly follow eating regulations presented in the Torah, but Reformed Jews take these in a different sense. The sources of these disagreements vary considerably. Some are rooted in historical events and traditions, but quite often they signal deep confusions concerning the interpretation of what believers take to be divinely revealed. In recent years, the author claims, the confusion has been compounded by the rise in the number and variety of interpretational approaches that are used to understand revelation. One can now take a culturalist, sociological, literary, psychoanalytical, historical, political, philosophical or feminist interpretations - to name just a few - approach. But do these all necessarily make sense when applied to religious texts? These and other questions cry out for answers which seldom are even attempted in the pertinent literature. This book offers a novel and sustained philosophical treatment of religious hermeneutics in which the author considers the main alternatives available in today's marketplace. The book is neither ideologically partisan nor thematically narrow and should be of interest to anyone concerned with interpreting the divine word. It offers a sensible roadmap to a topic that continues to draw heated debate in philosophy, theology, sociology, history and literary studies.

This Side of Home

This Side of Home PDF

Author: Renée Watson

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2015-02-03

Total Pages: 335

ISBN-13: 1599906686

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A captivating and poignant coming-of-age urban YA debut about sisters, friends, and what it means to embrace change.

One Lord, One Faith, Second Edition

One Lord, One Faith, Second Edition PDF

Author: Rex A. Koivisto

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 1498274951

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One Lord, One Faith is a plea and plan to re-envision the Church as a broad, cross-denominational community with a shared faith in the Christ of the Gospel. It both affirms the place and inevitability of individual denominational traditions, and also provides a grid from which to distinguish those denominational traditions from the core of historical orthodoxy shared by the entire Christian community. The book seeks to distinguish denominationalism from sectarianism, and identifies sectarianism as the true enemy of historic catholicity.

Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible

Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible PDF

Author: Kevin J. Vanhoozer

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2005-11-01

Total Pages: 896

ISBN-13: 144121058X

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For the pastor or serious layperson, the realm of biblical interpretation can be a confusing maze of personalities, communities, methods, and theories. This maze can often result in obscuring the main goal of interpreting Scripture: hearing and knowing God better. The Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible is a groundbreaking reference tool that introduces readers to key names, theories, and concepts in the field of biblical interpretation. It discusses these approaches and evaluates their helpfulness in enabling Christians to hear what God is saying to the church through Scripture. The contributors come from a variety of backgrounds, and the dictionary covers a broad range of topics with both clarity and depth.

Special Revelation and Scripture

Special Revelation and Scripture PDF

Author: David S. Dockery

Publisher: B&H Publishing Group

Published: 2024-05-01

Total Pages: 620

ISBN-13: 1462796192

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The doctrine of special revelation and the role of Holy Scripture have been central to the Christian faith for two thousand years. Yet, the nature, authority, and interpretation of the Bible continue to be discussed and debated. In their book Special Revelation and Scripture, David S. Dockery and Malcolm B. Yarnell III explore the fundamental elements of divine revelation, such as inspiration, reliability, and authority, and how these elements influence and shape the Christian's understanding of theological doctrines, ethical teachings, and matters concerning worldview. Dockery and Yarnell begin by developing the doctrine of divine revelation that emphasizes the Bible as the revealed word of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They examine the relationship between the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and sacred Scripture, highlighting their foundational connection. Furthermore, they explore the work of the Holy Spirit in inspiring the prophetic and apostolic writings and safeguarding them in the biblical canon. The authors affirm the special nature of Scripture by highlighting its essential attributes of truthfulness, inerrancy, sufficiency, and authority. They conclude by emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in illuminating Scripture for the development of theology and practice within the church. Throughout the book, readers will encounter a deep and abiding conviction that God's special revelation is preserved and made accessible for all human beings in his inspired Word, the Holy Bible. Dockery and Yarnell's comprehensive exploration of divine revelation and Scripture will inspire readers to engage with the Word of God in a more meaningful and transformative way. Recognizing that faithful theological study is an integrative task, the Theology for the People of God series uniquely combines biblical and systematic theology in dialogue with historical theology and with application to church and life. This series addresses classic doctrines of systematic theology and other relevant topics, pairing careful scholarship with the practical understanding that theology finds its focus within the context of the church. Together, the series' authors guide readers in developing a theologically informed way of seeing the world, a Christlike response to life, and Christian motivation for ministry.

Meaning, Truth, and Reference in Historical Representation

Meaning, Truth, and Reference in Historical Representation PDF

Author: Frank R. Ankersmit

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2012-04-24

Total Pages: 279

ISBN-13: 0801464323

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In this book, the noted intellectual historian Frank Ankersmit provides a systematic account of the problems of reference, truth, and meaning in historical writing. He works from the conviction that the historicist account of historical writing, associated primarily with Leopold von Ranke and Wilhelm von Humboldt, is essentially correct but that its original idealist and romanticist idiom needs to be translated into more modern terms. Rehabilitating historicism for the contemporary philosophy of history, he argues, "reveals the basic truths about the nature of the past itself, how we relate to it, and how we make sense of the past in historical writing." At the heart of Ankersmit's project is a sharp distinction between interpretation and representation. The historical text, he holds, is first and foremost a representation of some part of the past, not an interpretation. The book's central chapters address the concept of historical representation from the perspectives of reference, truth, and meaning. Ankersmit then goes on to discuss the possible role of experience in the history writing, which leads directly to a consideration of subjectivity and ethics in the historian's practice. Ankersmit concludes with a chapter on political history, which he maintains is the "basis and condition of all other variants of historical writing." Ankersmit’s rehabilitation of historicism is a powerfully original and provocative contribution to the debate about the nature of historical writing.