Thursday, February 22, 2007

Interpretation and Theory

I believe, then, that the classicist should see interpretation and theory as interdependent activities. But the interdependence is not symmetrical. Interpretation without theoretical reflection may be limited in scope and is vulnerable to various kinds of muddle; that certainly makes it worth less. But theory that is not rooted in our existing interpretative skills is at risk of being vacuous speculation; and that would make it worthless.'

Malcolm Heath, Interpreting Classical Texts (London: Duckworth, 2002), p. 21

1 comment:

Veg said...

I haven't been here in a while. Nice new format and quote.

related to your other blog:
I remember being told I sound like REM, so this is no surprise:

"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.