Publication Date

Winter 2015

Abstract

Haiku poets and critics in English have traditionally held to the view that haiku are objective snapshots of reality. This article argues against that idea by approaching haiku through the lens of Stanley Fish's theory of interpretive communities. I argue that, especially after translation into English, the meanings found in any given haiku are as informed by interpretation as in any other literary form. Several examples of translations from famous haiku poet Matsuo Basho are given.

Type

Article

Department

Library

Journal

Modern Haiku

Volume Number

46

Issue Number

1

First Page Number

25

Last Page Number

36

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