James Lovelock writes:
‘Metaphors are more than ever needed for a widespread comprehension of
the true nature of the earth’
As writers we can hide messages and morals in our work; but
metaphors can be interpreted in different ways, so the reader may come to
different conclusions to what the author had intended. It is also possible for
a reader to find metaphors that the author didn’t necessarily plan to
insinuate. This links to the Death of the
Author Theory; the idea that once a text is written the writer has no
control over interpretations of it.
However it can also be argued that part of an author will be
present in everything they write. Their own views of society and politics may
affect how they develop a character or the underlying issues in the story.
As writers we have the power to make issues accessible, we
can challenge a reader’s view point. By using metaphors the reader can choose
to take the subject at face value or explore it in more depth.
In Metamorphosis
by Kafka, Gregor Samsa is turned into a cockroach. The reader can either take
this at face value, Gregor just wakes up as a cockroach one morning for no
reason; or the reader can view the story as a metaphor about the struggle of
living with a disability.
But if the writing itself is not engaging, it will not be
read and analysed. Then its subject would not matter because it would go unnoticed.
You're right about readers coming to different conclusions! By their nature metaphors have many meanings, so it's only natural that they should be interpreted in many ways. So whatever authors try to write into their work it could come across differently. I think that a part of the author will always be present in whatever they write, either through their writing style or topic, but this doesn't prevent their work from having multiple readings.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Amy here. I find that it shouldn't matter what you write because the author in some shape or form will be present in his or her own writing. I believe that yes, if there is an opportunity to bring up a socioeconomic or political problem then the writer has every intention to do so but it is not to say that his reader will end up agreeing with him. Like you said Hannah, when metaphors are used there is no guarantee that there will be a 'single reading' - surely it will bring about multiple perspectives.
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