Are text interpretations fictions?

Abstract

In the 19th century philology became the most important human science following history, and the interpretation methods were refined. However, in the 20th century, fundamental doubts arose about the possibility and the sense of the interpretation procedure, and an increasingly sharp criticism was expressed. It was aimed at the presupposition of a certain, unchangeable meaning of the texts. The diversity of interpretations seemed to confirm that. The interpretations could also be called "fictions". However, this essential doubt about a certainty of the text meaning contradicts the linguistic communication in the society. These critics ignore the fact that there are very different forms of texts and the interpretations in different cultural areas pursue very different objectives. It is reasonable to distinguish between criticism and hermeneutics to regulate the controversy of interpretations: while the latter tries to explore the author's perspective, in criticism the interpreter is allowed to bring his own perspective to bear. These two concepts are usually related in the interpretation process, but can be separated in case of controversy.