Re: The 9th Wave and It's Interpretation

[SamiT007@aol.com]

>Very wise post. I think TNW is based very much upon dreams, for which
>there is no correct interpretation, or at least can only be best
>interpreted and "innerstood" by the dreamer.  More complex and/or
>archetypal dreams operate on many levels as well, so there is not always a
>definitive interpretation even for the dreamer.... 

While this may come from a dream, which is open to interpretation, the fact
is, that Kate Bush, as the author of the words and maker of the music, had a
message to convey to her audience.  We can't have many correct different
interpretations of her work.  The only meaning is Kate's meaning--any other
"meaning" we may find may be more appropriately referred to as "implication"
or "significance".  There can only be one meaning to any written or spoken
word--and that is the meaning the "author" intended to convey.  Any
interpretation that does not arrive at the true meaning of Kate's message, is
therefore, a mis-interpretation.  This is basic Hermeneutics 101 and Literary
Criticism 101.  So, it seems only logical to me, that all the people who are
discussing their various interpretations cannot all be right.  Rather, they
are discussion their reactions and responses to their understanding or
*mis*-understanding of Kate's meaning.  If I decide that the Ninth Wave has a
different meaning for me than for someone else, then, according to this
"reader-response" method of criticism, Kate's own interpration is equal to
mine--even though she is the original author and messenger of her message!
 That's ludicrous.  It's our role as her audience to try to arrive at the
correct understanding and interpretation that Kate intended when she wrote
the words and created the music.  If Kate would only sit down with us and say
word-for-word what she meant when she wrote The Ninth Wave, it would sure
save us a lot of problems!  

Just my two cents worth~~~
~~~Sam