The study develops a set of instruments for the analysis and criticism of literary interpretations and applies it to interpretations of Goethe's novel »Die Wahlverwandtschaften« (»Elective Affinities«) (1809). Interpretive statements are reduced to their component parts and allocated to a range of possible forms. At the same time, they are described as speech acts with a communicative function, e.g., the expression of understanding, the explanation of meanings in the text, or compliance with interpretive conventions. There is also inquiry into whether the interpretations lay claim to the truth, and, if so, whether they live up to that claim.