The correct answer is “interpretation”. The goal of interpretation is to discover the real meaning of the author’s text, either oral or written. Through the interpretation, a reader can make an explanation or an opinion of what something means. On the other hand, characterization and stylistic criticism have different functions. The former is a literary device used in literature to highlight and explain the details about a character in a story and the latter is the interpretation of texts of all types in regard to their linguistic and tonal style.
