Argues for an approach to the interpretation of text-based works within which the idea of a communicative intention is central. The communicative approach, apart from providing detailed, illuminating, and testable theories, transposes very well from conversational exchange to the interpretation of text-based works, and promises to illuminate aesthetic aspects of our engagement with works. Examines the consequences of this approach for the issue of pluralism about interpretation.
Keywords: communication, Grice, interpretation, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, relevance theory, texts,