Sometimes the Author is Dead. Sometimes the stated intent adds dimension to the experience. There is absolutely no "true" interpretation to a work of art, regardless of what the author says. Treating the meaning that art conveys in terms of "right" and "wrong" misses the point of experiencing art. The experience is subjective and what matters is how profound the experience is to you, not what the author intended or what the literature critics think. Both can add to your experience, but they can also take away from it, it depends on the piece.
Which brings me to a different kind of point, the near universal hatred of high school English courses' deconstruction of various pieces of literature and their meaning. I understand the hatred and it's well deserved. I think by teaching kids that this is "the" interpretation it takes away from enjoyment. But on the other hand I think providing people with the tools to get more out of literature requires examples to work on and being able to ask the right questions about art and think about it beyond the superficial impression adds dimension to the experience.
