girlyswot

Yes, I think he overstates his case slightly. Authors do generally have the privilege of at least knowing their work better, and that obviously can be a help in interpreting it. But an author can intend to communicate something and fail utterly, or not intend to communicate something else that the text clearly indicates. That's the work of the critic - not to read into the author's mind what they intended, but to discern what the text actually says.