The first part of the book traces the role of interpretation in everyday perceptual experiences. The account is phenomenological and, while it is much indebted to Heidegger, also brings in points on authors as diverse the question: What makes an interpretation true? This entails close discussion of various hermeneutical theories - Dilthey and Schleiermacher, Heidegger and Gadamer, structuralism and historical materialism. The book concludes by showing what observations on language are prompted by the hermeneutical experience, with particular reference to poetry and metaphysics.