Overreads

Overreads is a term used in literary criticism to describe readings of a text that attribute meanings or connections that extend beyond what the text itself supports. An overread occurs when a reader interprets themes, motives, or historical or political significance that cannot be adequately substantiated by the text's evidence, or when it imposes an external framework onto the work. The concept is often discussed in relation to close reading and to theories of interpretation that emphasize the role of the reader.

Distinctions: Close reading prioritizes evidence from the text; overreads rely on inference from outside sources, authorial intent, or extratextual contexts. Overreads may involve reading a work as allegory for a particular political issue, or reading biographical or cultural assumptions into characters without textual support. Indicators include sweeping claims based on a small textual cue, or connections that require substantial extrapolation.

Reception and debate: Some critics see overreading as a legitimate way to explore latent meanings, intertextuality, or reader-generated significance. Others argue that excessive inference undermines textual fidelity and can obscure the author's intent or the work's actual themes. In practice, readers often engage in a spectrum of readings, and what counts as an overread can depend on scholarly standards and interpretive communities.

Examples: Interpreting a novel as a strict critique of a particular ideology because of a single scene; treating a minor character as a stand-in for a political critique without textual substantiation.

See also: misreading, overinterpretation, close reading, reader-response criticism, intertextuality.