On the one hand we need the image of "the text" in order to focus on anything at all; on the other hand we use the metaphor of "reading" to signal that our apprehension of a text will always be partial, that we never quite reach the "text itself," a realization that has led certain critics to question the very existence of such an object.
Espen J. Aarseth, Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature
authorial-intent, fabula, reading, sjuzet, text