Dealing with the topic of reading a text from a postmodern perspective (ie, we have no access to a text's read meaning), Graeme Goldsworthy says this in his most recent book called,
Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics:
Why, we might ask, does the postmodern protagonist deny the role of authorial intent, and put the argument in books written quite clearly with the assumption that the reader will, or at least should, understand what the (postmodern) author intends? (p. 137)
He ends the chapter called "The Eclipse of the Gospel in Philosophical Hermeneutics" by saying:
One can only wonder at the inconsistency, perhaps even hubris, of postmodern philosophers and hermeneutic theorists denying the reader of a text any access to objective meaning or the author's intention, while expecting us all to read their works as they intend, and not to misrepresent their meaning. (p. 138)
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Z- If you have some time pick up Is there a Meaning in This Text?, by Kevin Vanhoozer. It's a lively engagement with questions like: Where does meaning reside? and Can we discover meanings in texts?
Vanhoozer puts forth a view of "chastened authorial intent" and also has some intriguing engagement with speech-act theory (which asks not only what do words/texts describe/inform, but also what actions do they perform).
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