A book can be read "at several levels". Do you think the author wrote it at several levels? Or are we deluding ourselves in claiming to?

That's one thing that always got me in English class.

Teacher: "What did the author mean when he said the turtle was green?"
Me: "He meant it was green."
Teacher: "No. This was a very clear metaphor about how fragile life is and how the main character is struggling over the loss of his mother and contemplating robbing a bank or killing himself. He doesn't outright say this, but we can infer it because everyone knows turtles are colored more like basil and he didn't embellish." 
Me:

I think great writers are deliberate in the levels they weave into their narratives, and this is partly what makes them great. Shakespeare was famous for this. The plots, characters and emotions could appeal to people of all types in the audience, but there were sophisticated nuances of psychology, moral dilemma, strategy, and politics designed as food for thought for those in power.

I never forgot the lessons of King Lear, and sure enough, when my mother developed dementia in her old age, my younger sister behaved just like the older ones in The Bard’s story. It meant I could prepare (encouraged Mum to see her solicitor and write an Advanced Health Directive to make her wishes clear) and so when the inevitable challenges came, I could deal with them legally.

Depending on the author, I'm thinking it could maybe be a combination of both hartfire's and Just Asking's answers.

I really like Shirley Jackson's works. I've read in several places about her infamous short story "The Lottery." Many people were outraged both at the story and at Jackson for writing such a tale. Being asked about the story's meaning so often, from what I've read, she always had basically the same answer (I'm poorly paraphrasing) -- "Hey, I just wrote a story. Take it as it is."

I love that short story (probably my most memorable reading moment of my high school years) but I pretty much love everything I've ever read by Jackson.

:)



Oh, and sometimes, if this makes sense, I believe authors are not always in touch with the possible layers of their own works. Sometimes readers or other people can have truer interpretations than the authors originally intended. This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at November 5, 2016 11:46 AM MDT