Dealing in Fantasy Absolutes

It has been several days since last I posted here. I have been very busy finishing up the semester and readying for finals, and I am certain I will have a great deal more time over the Summer to invest in Blogging. That being said I would like to focus on a discussion I had with someone earlier today in which we debated personal perception vs. the absolute, in a fictional context. Here are a couple of the statements this person made:

"Your perception can be wrong. Just because it is a perception does not shield it from the states of truth and falsity. "

"To refuse to deal in absolutes is to take everything with equal weight. If one does not deal in absolutes when one must, nothing matters, as everything would be in state of equal worthless correctness."

On the surface this makes sense, it is logical enough, but we were referring to a fictional body of writing. This got me to thinking, given the nature of fiction, is it not fueled wholly, by your imagination, as the reader? As such, the only absolute truths possible would be those stated by the author, in his/her own words, outside the context of the body of writing.

Which leads me to wonder, can there be "absolute truths" within a fictional story, even when the author says it is such? We as readers are guided by our perceptions of the writing. Therefore whatever we perceive in the process of digesting that writing, is of personal relevance and value to us. Is there such a thing is miscomprehension of fiction? Is that even remotely possible? If we were to misunderstand it, that would be solely in the eyes of the author. If it does not detract from our enjoyment of the story, shouldn't personal perception over-ride an author's absolute truth?

Some of the statements I made during the conversation were as follows:

"I guess, if I would put my finger on it, this is precisely the issue. We are discussing fantasy. In this regard, no perception can ever be wrong. The very root of the word perception implies that it is a personal thing. The semantics come into play when you seek to prove that a fantasy even has truths and falsities, by delving into the mind of said fantasies author. To assert that there is an ultimate truth or, an absolute truth is the death of the very essence of imagination. "

"While I completely understand the concept, the need even, for a fantasy author to aid you in "suspending your dis-belief", this should not be done at the expense of one's imagination, and I don't think {author omitted} takes it to that degree, which is one of the many factors that makes him great."

This person showed no signs of even taking a nanosecond to think about anything I was saying to him, and in retrospect of this conversation, I have cause to wonder: should we tell others how to think? Or benevolently offer up our opinions for their consumption? Also, can true discussion exist when statements are made that there is an absolute truth to a matter? This would imply that no give and take is relevant or available.

Personally, when I read a fantasy novel, I like to let my imagination run wild. Dealing in absolutes is like mathematical mental murder to me.