I've been rereading some classic novels lately, and I'm struck by how my interpretation shifts entirely depending on my current life stage. Take 'The Great Gatsby'—as a teenager I saw a tragic romance, but now I notice the relentless class critique and the emptiness of the American Dream. Does a literary work hold a stable meaning that we should strive to uncover, or is the reader's evolving perspective the true source of value? I lean toward the latter, but I'm curious whether that undermines the author's intent or enriches the text in ways they couldn't have predicted.