intentional fallacy

[ in-ten-shuh-nl fal-uh-see ]

noun

1. (in literary criticism) an assertion that the intended meaning of the author is not the only or most important meaning; a fallacy involving an assessment of a literary work based on the author's intended meaning rather than on actual response to the work.

Word History and Origins

Origin of intentional fallacy¹

First recorded in 1945–50