Revival of the Author

In this thesis Schleiermacher’s Hermeneutical theory is revaluated, with the goal of reintegrating it as a practical methodology in literary research. Schleiermacher’s theory is held up against Gadamer’s critique of hermeneutics in academic practices, as to lay bare the essential methodological components of Schleiermacher’s theory. These methodological components will be fitted as such that they are applicable in the scientific practice of psychological research. The thesis substantiates a view of hermeneutics where neither the work nor the author is the sole orchestrator of meaning and argues that understanding of a text lies in the recreation of the context in which it was created. This supports a method of psychologically methodical observation of readers that does not rely on subjective assessment, but on generalizable interpretation that is best suited for a specific text. This new methodology strives not to understand the effect of a text on readers, rather it provides an approach to gather understanding of texts through readers.