What does this quote mean? “Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself. You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.” ― Angela Carter.

1 Answer
Apr 3, 2018

As with all art, it means that the realization of the observer is unique from all others, including the original artist.

Explanation:

Unlike the "hard sciences" which are based on objective observations of common phenomena, art (including writing) is a subjective expression of a person (the artist) AND the subjective response of an observer.

The observer necessarily views the art in the perspective of their own experiences and knowledge. Thus, in some ways, the original art is transformed by the process of observation. The reader's and the author's viewpoints and experiences are not the same, thus the intent of the writing and the way in which it is perceived are different - and UNIQUE to each artist-observer pair!