trust

"Trust the tale, not the teller"

I think this approach of not caring what the author said/meant to say is a great one, but incredibly difficult to get a firm grasp on. Sometimes, a text just opens itself up for author's intent, but the idea that it doesn't matter is hard to fathom. All of my life I have been told as I am reading texts that it is about my own response (similar to the reader's response school of thought) but we always considered the author's meaning. Need to get a better grasp on the entire concept...