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Death of the Author
15 years ago
General
THIS IS THE THING I KEEP TALKING ABOUT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_the_Author
Roland Barthes. Death of the Author. The reader as sole creator of meaning in literature. This is that thing I keep referring to without ever being able to cite or flesh it out. I didn't read this article. Skim it. This is the thing. I keep talking about it, I'm just gonna leave it here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_the_Author
Roland Barthes. Death of the Author. The reader as sole creator of meaning in literature. This is that thing I keep referring to without ever being able to cite or flesh it out. I didn't read this article. Skim it. This is the thing. I keep talking about it, I'm just gonna leave it here.
Lafitte
~lafitte
I get his points but he always kind of pissed me off. I also think his whole "author = shaman/story teller = culturally constructed story" bit is a bunch of flimsy bullshit.
KateWalker
OP
I'm about 90% on board with him. That the author has NO influence whatsoever is preposterous, but I'm beginning to come to new conclusions on this topic (such as, meaning is actually a struggle of wills: the author attempts to block off certain routes from being considered, while the reader is left free to maneuver meaning in ways the author could not have foreseen). It's a work in progress.
Lafitte
~lafitte
Eh, I'm a strong structuralist, deep down. The reader will always bring their own interpretations to your work but the degree to which they miss your point will, in most cases, be mediated by your skill. If this fails too often then you simply need to develop better craft. The reader should catch your core meaning and dress it up with their own additions, not build it from the ground up. Well, unless that's what you're going for.
Henk
~henk
I had to study Barthes for my degree at university. It's been a long while since I read it,
KateWalker
OP
I don't actually remember when I read Death of the Author, but I'm pretty sure it was during my Master's degree, maybe even when I was still busy changing majors. The idea just knocked my socks off, and it's stayed with me ever since.
