"Mis"reading

I have never bought into the myth that there is such a thing as reading something "wrong". Perhaps this is due to my lack of formal black-and-white right-and-wrong juvenile high school English classes. Because I was home schooled, I had a very open mind when it comes to interpretations, and because I am a literature fanatic, I always can find many meanings behind even the simplest verse or tale. This is something that I am grateful for, but I have recognized over the past year or so that many people do believe in singular right-or-wrong interpretations. 

The one thing that makes good writing good, though, is its ability to speak to broad audiences. Speaking to these masses can be accomplished only through writing that has many layers of interpretative value. This is what makes a "play" or "performance" real. Without generalizing too much, I would have to agree with the idea that English majors come at truth and realness from a different perspective. But this is also true for each individual. 

Fictional and/or poetic writing, like other art forms including art, music, etc., is valued for the way it speaks to people. And because each individual is a walking autobiography, there can't possibly be a universal point to a piece of this type of literature. The term "mything" the point, though, I believe to be a bit deceiving. Myths are, by definition, imaginary or fictitious. However interpretations are not mythical. They are autobiographical.

I am not sure if I am making my point clear in this post, but basically I do not think that there is such a thing as reading something wrong. Any piece of writing that is worth its salt can, in fact, be interpreted in a myriad of ways. But to interpret things in mythical ways is only useful if those myths can in turn be related to one's own life. 

-AS