meaning must be related to something of value in the interpreter’s world
for it to become signifi cant to her. Furthermore, if this is true, we fi nd in
this specifi cation an important parallel to the relationship the preacher
wrestles with between exegesis and exposition. The point of exegesis is to
discover “what the text meant,” to use Stendahl’s language. But exposi-
tion requires proclaiming, not “what the text means,” as Stendahl would
have it, but rather the signifi cance for today of the meaning intended by the
author. This is done by relating the meaning intended by the author to
something analogous in the contemporary context. The main term Hirsch
uses to describe this process of relating original meaning to something else
is “correlation.”
P ART 2: ECO AND SEMIOTICS
It is impossible to understand Umberto Eco apart from the fundamental
theorem of semiotic theory: that every sign points to other signs and every
word is defi ned by other words. Even things point to other things. A ham-
mer implies the existence of nails.
Beginning with the Renaissance, the symbolic interpretation of
texts that had been standard in Antiquity and the Middle Ages came
under growing assault. The eventual result was the hermeneutics of
Schleiermacher, which posited that Scripture should be interpreted like
secular literature, and that meaning was delimited by the intention of the
author. Interpretation became a quest for the single correct understand-
ing of a text and hermeneutics became primarily a set of guidelines to help
avoid misunderstanding.
Eco and many others found this conception too constraining. The
polysemy and multivalent texture of earlier approaches seemed richer and
better characterized how literature actually works. 22 Therefore, it is fair to
regard Eco as a soldier in a rebellion against Schleiermacher.
E CO: OPEN AND CLOSED WORKS
Eco fi rst came to prominence in the scholarly world in 1962 with the
publication of his book Opera aperta. This book presents two important
insights, the fi rst of which is that some texts are more “open” and others
more “closed.” In closed books, the author intends to keep a fi rm grasp
on the meaning of his work. Another way to say this is that the author
tries to communicate without ambiguity. A contract is an example of a
ECHOING HIRSCH: DO READERS FIND OR CONSTRUCT MEANING? 89