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3. "Most literary critics are unwilling to speak of the meaning of a text; they reject the idea that a work of literature has one and only one meaning. But if we allow for a plurality of meanings, the question that naturally arises is: Are there any limits? How do we distinguish between good and bad, between valid and invalid interpretations? There is obviously no rule of thumb method by which such discrimination can be effected. But some guiding principles can be enunciated. An interpretation is to be taken seriously if the one who proffers it is someone who is steeped in the tradition to which that piece of literature belongs, if he has given to it not just a passing glance but sustained and critical attention, and if his interpretation once put forward speaks to others who are prepared to share in the same serious quest for understanding" (104).

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