Novel Readings: The Social Organization of Interpretation

Theories of interpretation must explain not only the accuracy of interpretation but also the divergence between readings that arises from the socially situated nature of any reading. In this article, the sources of variant readings of a single novel ( The Late Bourgeois World, by Nadine Gordimer) are examined. Analysis of published statements (reviews and critical analyses) and comparison of these professional accounts with the author's own "lay" reading highlight the effects of the readers' genders, historical contexts, and purposes for reading on their constructions of the novel's content. The analysis demonstrates the collective character and significance of "novel readings," specially those produced by cultural "outsiders."