<i>The Task of the Interpreter</i> offers a new approach to what it means to interpret a text, and reconciles the possibility of multiple interpretations with the need to consider the author's intention. Vandevelde argues that interpretation is both an act and an event: It is an act in that interpreters, through the statements they make, implicitly commit themselves to justifying their positions, if prompted. It is an event in that interpreters are situated in a cultural and historical framework and come to a text with questions, concerns, and methods of which they are not fully conscious. These two aspects make interpretation a negotiation of meaning. <i>The Task of the Interpreter</i> provides an interdisciplinary investigation of textual interpretation including biblical hermeneutics (Gregory the Great's <i>Homilies on Ezekiel</i>), translation (Homer's <i>The Odyssey</i>), and literary fictions (Grass's <i>Dog Years</i> and Sabato's <i>On Heroes and Tombs</i>). Vandevelde's philosophical discussion will appeal to theorists of both continental and analytical/pragmatic traditions.