overread

Overread is a term used in both literary analysis and computer science. As a verb, it describes reading beyond the intended scope of a text or source. The noun form overreading is used to describe the practice, and in some cases the phrase is used to refer to reading meanings into a text that are not explicitly supported by the text itself.

In literary criticism, overreading refers to inferring motifs, themes, or authorial intent that extend beyond what the text directly supports. It can be part of close reading when extended interpretations emerge, but it is often contrasted with more conservative readings. Critics argue that overreading risks eisegesis, projecting meanings not grounded in textual evidence, while proponents may view it as a legitimate exploration of implications and cultural contexts.

Computing sense: In programming, to overread means to read more data than is available or permitted, such as reading past the end of a memory buffer or input. This can cause errors, crashes, or security vulnerabilities, including information leaks. Mitigation strategies include bounds checking, explicit length parameters, using safe libraries, and choosing languages with automatic memory safety.

See also: overinterpretation, close reading, underread, buffer overrun, bounds checking.