(Having written and deleted a really long response) I think it's enough to say that a writer creates a story with certain intentions - and these intentions can be intuited by how they craft the story (what they focus on, how they order information, how they create contrast, how the story escalates and is resolved) - but that, despite the…
(Having written and deleted a really long response) I think it's enough to say that a writer creates a story with certain intentions - and these intentions can be intuited by how they craft the story (what they focus on, how they order information, how they create contrast, how the story escalates and is resolved) - but that, despite these intentions, they can't maintain full control on what meaning is taken from a story. As you say - different things land on and move different people - we all come to stories from different starting points (our own interests, biases, motivations, hang-ups), and these will influence whether we see the signposts created by the author, whether we miss them, or whether we misread them. What can we take from that as writers? 1. Your story ceases to be your story as soon as you publish it, and 2. The more subtle your are in your treatment, the more you invite the reader to fill the gaps/sharpen the image (which is vulnerable to all kinds of divergent views and interpretations). Not necessarily a bad thing - it's like what George says about Chekhov: his stories create in the reader a question of whether something is this or that / good or bad, and Chekhov answers 'yes'. Maybe great stories are there to *move* us, not *mould* us?
Q. You’ve said, “Between the lines of every story, readers write their own lines, shaping up the story as a collaborative effort.” As the writer are you concerned about controlling or directing the reader’s lines, with the question of a “correct” interpretation?
A. Of course the writer wishes to compel and persuade and entice and guide the reader to a comprehension of the story, but there’s no such thing as a “correct” interpretation of a piece of fiction. That’s demanding a scientific precision of the writer. Each reader’s interpretation originates in his or her life’s experiences, in feelings and emotions of intensely personal history. You get more from what you read as you grow older, and your choices change, and, wiser, you bring more to that collaborative effort.
(Having written and deleted a really long response) I think it's enough to say that a writer creates a story with certain intentions - and these intentions can be intuited by how they craft the story (what they focus on, how they order information, how they create contrast, how the story escalates and is resolved) - but that, despite these intentions, they can't maintain full control on what meaning is taken from a story. As you say - different things land on and move different people - we all come to stories from different starting points (our own interests, biases, motivations, hang-ups), and these will influence whether we see the signposts created by the author, whether we miss them, or whether we misread them. What can we take from that as writers? 1. Your story ceases to be your story as soon as you publish it, and 2. The more subtle your are in your treatment, the more you invite the reader to fill the gaps/sharpen the image (which is vulnerable to all kinds of divergent views and interpretations). Not necessarily a bad thing - it's like what George says about Chekhov: his stories create in the reader a question of whether something is this or that / good or bad, and Chekhov answers 'yes'. Maybe great stories are there to *move* us, not *mould* us?
PS Just discovered Konstantin's comment, which offers a similar take on this and links to a great Marginalian article: https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/the-stone-boy-3/comment/5172562
PPS And, of course, Berriault answers this question more eloquently herself in the interview Annie posted (https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/the-stone-boy-3/comment/5174739):
Q. You’ve said, “Between the lines of every story, readers write their own lines, shaping up the story as a collaborative effort.” As the writer are you concerned about controlling or directing the reader’s lines, with the question of a “correct” interpretation?
A. Of course the writer wishes to compel and persuade and entice and guide the reader to a comprehension of the story, but there’s no such thing as a “correct” interpretation of a piece of fiction. That’s demanding a scientific precision of the writer. Each reader’s interpretation originates in his or her life’s experiences, in feelings and emotions of intensely personal history. You get more from what you read as you grow older, and your choices change, and, wiser, you bring more to that collaborative effort.
Thank you, that’s great. I have read somewhere that a good story is only completed by one reader at a time engaging with it in their own unique way.