Final answer:
Knowing an author's audience can help discern their writing purpose, as it affects tone, language, and content. Analyzing an author's background, intent, and the context contributes to understanding their work. Reader interpretation, however, is also a valuable aspect of engaging with any text.
Step-by-step explanation:
Knowing who an author's audience is may help you determine his or her purpose for writing. Understanding the audience is crucial as it influences the tone, language, and content an author chooses to use. Authors write with a certain audience in mind, whether it's a group that shares specific interests, experiences, or demographic characteristics, or a more general readership. When analyzing a piece of writing, questions you might ask about the author include their background, what was important to them, and their reason for writing the piece. It's also important to consider the context of the work, including the time, place, and societal influences that may have shaped the author's viewpoint.
Assessing the author's intent is a complex task. The author's understanding of their work might be significant, yet it is one among many possible interpretations. Some argue that focusing solely on authorial intent may prevent readers from engaging in their interpretive activities and forming their own understandings. Still, knowing the author's intention can provide valuable insight into the text's meaning.
The techniques used by the writer, their success, and how the author presents their thesis statement or stance are additional aspects to analyze. It's helpful to examine if the author's attitudes, biases, or personal experiences have influenced the written work. Sometimes, a perusal of the introduction or first chapter can offer clues about the writer's assumptions regarding their subject or their targeted audience.