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The Colour Flows Back: Intention and Interpretation in Literature and in Everyday Action

Tanney, Julia (2008) The Colour Flows Back: Intention and Interpretation in Literature and in Everyday Action. Journal of European Studies, 38 (3). pp. 229-252. ISSN 0047-2441. E-ISSN 1740-2379. (doi:10.1177/0047244108094294) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:10589)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0047244108094294

Abstract

The notion of the author’s intention is logically tied to the interpretation we give to her work as the notion of the agent’s intention is logically tied to the interpretation we give to her action. When we find a discrepancy between what the author or agent says and the meaning we find in her work or the sense we make of what she does, this does not show that the intention is irrelevant in determining this meaning or sense. As Frank Cioffi has argued, we are rather favouring one criterion of intention over another. Taking a close look at the early criticism surrounding The Turn of the Screw I draw attention to this phenomenon—much discussed by Wittgenstein—of favouring one criterion of intention over another. Because Wittgenstein’s views, though mentioned frequently, are still ill-understood, I go on to tease out the philosophical assumptions that lurk in the background of disputes about the relevance of intention for interpretation.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1177/0047244108094294
Uncontrolled keywords: action; aesthetics; G. E. M. Anscombe; Frank Cioffi; intention; interpretation; Gilbert Ryle; Ludwig Wittgenstein
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Culture and Languages
Depositing User: Julia Tanney
Date Deposited: 20 Mar 2009 15:08 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 09:49 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/10589 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Tanney, Julia.

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