Interpretations

Many teachers will tell their students that there is no such thing as a ‘wrong’ answer in English Literature. This is true, but can be quite misleading. For the sake of simplicity, this statement sacrifices clarity, and needs some expanding on.

First and foremost, the beauty of the English Literature is that it is defined by its subjectivity. It sits in a realm all on its own, away from objectivity and solid fact, where one hundred people can read the same text and have infinite ideas about what it might mean. So yes, it is impossible to be wrong in English Literature.

Literature is art. A work of literature is created to evoke different feelings or reactions. While we may try as much as possible to critically analyze such work, only the creator of the work of literature can fully and correctly interpret the latter. That being said, literature doesn’t have a universally accepted definition and every artist expresses themselves in their own way and we who appreciate their work should perceive it in our own way too. So no, there is no wrong way to interpret a work of literature.