Ideas developed by J.L. Austin and H.P. Grice in the fifties have been used recently by other philosophers and literary theorists to throw light on the nature of textual meaning and the interpretation of literary (and other) texts. We shall first explore the salient features of Austin's and Grice's approach to meaning, concentration on the notions of illocutionary force (Austin) and non-natural meaning (Grice), and shall then see how these notions may be exploited in the consideration of various long-standing issues in the theory of literary, and more generally textual, interpretation. Among the issues discussed will be the contribution of specific genre conventions and broader contextual matters to the interpretation of literary texts, along the lines suggested by Quentin Skinner; the possibility of using intention to rule out mistaken and arrive at acceptable interpretations, if not a single correct interpretation (a possibility denied by such relativists as Stanley Fish); and the host of questions surrounding the "intentional fallacy," the alleged result of invoking intention to determine textual meaning. Requirements: class participation and four short essays. Prerequisites: Philosophy 101 or Philosophy 102; Philosophy 202 or Philosophy 204 are highly recommended.