The more a reader knows about the time and place in which a work was produced, the more effective will be that reader s interpretations of the text. Such interpretations see the author s childhood, education, family background, social class, and life experiences as important critical considerations. Traditional biographical readings tend to see authors as products of their times. More recent authorial critiques tend to stress the psychology of the author as a key to literary interpretation. For such interpretations the hidden aspects of a work are often more important than the obvious.
Marxist interpretations emphasize the economic and material conditions of all human activity.
Such readings also stress the role of literature in hiding or revealing class distinctions and the need for political change. Such critiques might discuss acceptance or rejection of a work by the reading public over time, reception by contemporary critics, or the current state of criticism of a text. Feminist interpretations might draw attention to the fact that the author was male or female, or to varying responses by male and female readers. Such readings also tend to emphasize the history of gender relationships as a key to understanding the text.