Quote: "'The truth of works of art is a contingent one: what they reveal is dependent on the lives, circumstances and views of the audience to whom they reveal it'"
Comment: I found Martindale's comparison between interpreting ancient texts to playing an old piece of music aloud really interesting. It made me understand not only how hard it is to ever try to capture an unbiased interpretation of a piece, but also how singular every interpretation of a text can be.
Question: If an interpretation of a text is based mainly on a reader's personal history and cultural surroundings, how much can a writer actually influence what they are saying in their work?