Comparison of the practice of interpretation and its claims to validity in legal studies and literary studies. Both legal studies and literary studies are sciences of interpretation. Legal studies interpret legal texts with regard to their application in decision-making situations. Literary studies seek to understand the meaning and form of literary texts. In both disciplines, there is no consensus on the method of interpretation, and sometimes even on the goal of interpretation. The focus of this volume is on acts of understanding, reflections on the nature of these acts, and the validity that their results may claim. It is about the reading practices in both sciences. This comparison provides insights into what is common and what separates them, a clearer awareness of their respective peculiarities, and ideally enriches one's own methodological arsenal.