This list and accompanying words raise some interesting questions about artistic interpretation. Does an artist have exclusive domain over the “correct” interpretation of his art work? If Fahrenheit 451 is commonly interpreted as a book about censorship and its author, Ray Bradbury, says its a book about the dangers of television, does that mean that everyone who disagrees with him is wrong? Once the artwork is created, what relationship does the artist have to it? The assumption in this article is that the author’s intent matters even if people interpret the work differently and that somehow disagreeing with the author’s own intention makes you wrong. Interesting read overall.
“With most every classic novel comes some outlandish interpretations. Some people have wild fringe theories about Harry Potter as an allegory for young gay love and Lord of the Rings being about WWII and the atom bomb. But some of these laughably wrong interpretations stick. In fact, you were taught some of them in school …”