Which is an assumption in a literary theory?

• A. There is no such thing as an innocent reading of the text
• B. Readings are always innocent
• C. The text is transparent
• D. The author is irrelevant

Answer: (A)

Interpretation in literary theory is never neutral. Readers bring their own experiences, ideologies, and cultural contexts to a text, shaping what they notice and how they interpret meaning. Because of this, there isn’t such a thing as an innocent reading that decodes a text without bias. This assumption is common across many approaches, which argue that meanings emerge from the interaction between text and reader and can vary from one reader to another. The other statements imply a fully transparent text, universal innocence of readers, or that the author’s role is irrelevant in all cases, which isn’t consistent with how interpretation is understood in these theories. So the idea that there is no innocent reading best captures the typical stance.