Which statement best reflects one function of literary theory?

• A. It inventories libraries
• B. It translates manuscripts
• C. It compiles dictionaries
• D. It interprets the text

Answer: (D)

Literary theory provides tools for interpreting texts, showing how meaning is produced through language, form, and context. It invites you to look beyond the surface to see how imagery, structure, and narrative choices contribute to what a text means and how readers come to understand it. By applying different theoretical lenses, you explore questions about ideology, culture, power, and representation, uncovering layers of significance that aren’t immediately visible. That makes interpreting the text the core function illustrated here. Activities like inventories of libraries, translating manuscripts, or compiling dictionaries belong to library science, translation studies, and lexicography, not literary theory.