Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the theory and methodology of interpretation. Originally the term only referred to the interpretation of biblical texts; but with the New Criticism (1980’s) the term was extended and applied to seemingly everything and anything. (Most notably in this author’s experience: Art and Aesthetics).

In Chapter 1 of Dressing Stone a brief reference was made to Hermeneutics as part of the background chatter at a restaurant that DeBris overhears while waiting for his wife to a arrive. Amid the chatter a diner wryly comment on Susan Sontag’s work Against Interpretation.

Against Interpretation is a collection of essays by Susan Sontag published in 1966. In effect, she wrote, interpretation* had become “the intellect’s revenge upon art.” The essay famously finishes with the words, “in place of a hermeneutics we need an erotics** of art”.

But then that’s just Sontag’s hermeneutics talking.

“We are the result of the effective histories of the very texts and discourses we seek to understand…therefore every interpretation can only pretend to objectivity….” Personally I don’t give a rat’s ass if this is Gadamer or Schleiermacher’s thinking-—because I never allow Questions of Objectivity or Subjectivity to affect my aesthetic experiences. I’m not commenting on objectivity or subjectivity, I mean I don’t allow Questions to affect my aesthetic experiences. Unless I think the art stinks, then my heart and mind and soul are never overcome with theWhy…?

My take on it; we will all never agree on any particular interpretation. Not even generally. However, groups of us all agree on something, we are just generally unaware of the what & why of it (and this, I suppose is what excites Hermeneuticians).

Nevertheless, one thing we can all generally agree on is that Hermeneutics is a rather rarified field of inquiry that is sure to lead to a the kind of discussion and argument that is certain to generate an endless speculation surrounding unresolvable issues for groups that salivate over these rarified inquests into interpretation…

*An aesthetic interpretation expresses a particular emotional or experiential understanding most often in reference to a poem, or piece of literature, and may also apply to a work of visual art, or performance et al.

**erotics of art sounds good, especially to high strung testosterone and estrogen infused twenty somethings, but just how does erotics replace intrepretation? I suppose giving up on interpretation, and indulging in the sensuality of it all should do it. And furthermore, I suggest you stop bringing up interpretation or author’s intentions at all, it just ruins the mood. (Then again, if you’ve got a theory about all that, share it in the comments section below.)

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