Abstract

"Hermeneutics" is a term that is slowly gaining familiarity in Anglo-Saxon countries. As is so frequently the case with movements in Continental philosophy, it has been the theologians who have first displayed a serious interest in hermeneutics. Both insofar as this study has far reaching ramifications for all disciplines concerned with the nature and art of interpretation, it is relevant to the concerns of the philosopher and the literary critic. Basically, Palmer's aim is to answer the question, "what is hermeneutics?" and to present the reader with the origin and diversity of approaches in recent times. He does this admirably and the book will be helpful to anyone who wants to know what hermeneutics is all about. The book also includes a bibliography of many of the most important contributions relating to the study of hermeneutics. Palmer's own enthusiasm for the field is apparent. When he concludes with thirty theses on interpretation, it begins to look as if hermeneutics is so all-inclusive that it is difficult to see what differentiates it from other approaches to the nature of interpretation.--R. J. B.