The skills in the interpretation of fiction proposed in this paper are defined by seven item types. Four question sets, based on four different texts, were administered to between 77 and 127 students each. The results confirm experimentally the hierarchical and taxonomic nature of the item types. (Author/BW)

To develop students' abilities in independent literary interpretation and thus to foster in them a deeper enjoyment and appreciation of literature, teachers should attempt to impart an understanding of three basic structural areas in literature. The first of these is an awareness of man in relation to his physical, social, and cultural…