Published in 1976, Interpretation Theory: Discourse and the Surplus of Meaning is a short but foundational work in Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutical philosophy. It provides a clear entry point into his lifelong exploration of how texts generate meaning and how readers appropriate that meaning. At its core, the book addresses the question: How does interpretation uncover meanings that exceed literal expression?
From Discourse to Text
Ricoeur begins by distinguishing between language and discourse.
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Language is the system of rules and signs that makes communication possible.
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Discourse is the actual use of language in speaking or writing.
When discourse is written down, it becomes a text. A text has a unique feature: it becomes autonomous from its author and original audience. Once written, a text no longer belongs to its creator but projects a world of meaning for future readers.
The Surplus of Meaning
Central to the book is the idea of surplus of meaning. A text cannot be exhausted by a single interpretation. Its semantic richness allows for multiple readings across time and contexts.
This surplus emerges because texts operate on multiple levels: literal, symbolic, metaphorical, and cultural. A biblical parable, a poem, or a philosophical treatise all exceed their immediate context, generating new meanings with every act of interpretation.
Explanation and Understanding
Ricoeur draws on Wilhelm Dilthey’s classic hermeneutical distinction between explanation and understanding:
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Explanation analyzes a text objectively—its grammar, structure, and context.
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Understanding seeks to grasp how the text addresses existence, meaning, and human life.
Ricoeur insists that interpretation must move dialectically between these two poles. Explanation without understanding is lifeless, while understanding without explanation risks projection and distortion.
Distanciation and Appropriation
Two further concepts are crucial in this work:
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Distanciation – Writing distances a text from its author and original situation. This separation allows readers to encounter it afresh, preventing the text from being reduced to mere intention.
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Appropriation – After critical distance, interpretation culminates in appropriation: making the meaning of the text one’s own, allowing it to transform self-understanding.
Thus, interpretation is both critical and existential: it respects the text’s otherness while allowing its meaning to shape the reader’s life.
Hermeneutics as Philosophy
In Interpretation Theory, Ricoeur shows how hermeneutics is not only a method for textual analysis but a philosophical practice. By interpreting texts, readers interpret themselves and their world. The surplus of meaning keeps hermeneutics open-ended, ensuring that no interpretation can claim finality.
Why Interpretation Theory Matters
Though concise, Interpretation Theory: Discourse and the Surplus of Meaning crystallizes the core of Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics. It introduces enduring concepts—surplus of meaning, distanciation, explanation and understanding, appropriation—that shape his later work on metaphor, narrative identity, memory, and justice.
The book remains a touchstone for students and scholars seeking to understand how interpretation bridges the gap between language and existence, between text and reader, between meaning and life.
Other Books by Ricoeur:
