re: #160 Belafon

As Tolkien implied, and my art teacher said: There are many valid interpretations of a piece of art, and the artist’s interpretation is one of them. Part of the reason the viewer’s interpretation is valid is that they may see influences that the artist has internalized but not consciously acknowledged.

So I personally do not buy any artists attempt to say “This is what I made and this is what it means.” We call those people manufacturers, not artists.

A real allegory is pretty much a counterexample to this way of thinking. E.g., in the Chronicles of Narnia, there are only two ways to interpret Aslan — as a Christ figure, or incorrectly. The author’s intent in this case is indisputable (i.e., the “purposed domination of the author” from Tolkien’s comment on allegory.)