HUM LIT Blog Central

What do we do with authors? On a commonsense level, the author is important as the creator of the text. We couldn’t have the poem, story, article, or book without its author. Even though the neccesity and importance of the author will seem totally clear, obvious, even unquestionable, I want to ask you to think a bit further about it.

The Theory Toolbox suggests that sometimes we need to question common sense, to see whether the assumptions upon which it is based seem valid. We can also think about some of the consequences or what choosing one view leaves out.

Here are a few possible issues with commonsense thinking about authors. Could it be that we exaggerate the role of the maker, who after all is sometimes a collaborator, often draws on sources and models, works with an editor, etc. Once a book is written, do we need the author? What about those texts we can now only credit to anonymous? Do we lose anything when we lose touch with the author?

Now we’re thinking less about an author’s role in making than about the author function — that is, how an author continues to be important in a text; or what uses we make of the author. Knowing about the author of a text can sometimes seem to help us understand it. We often refer to the author to support our experience of a text: I reacted to X, which was Author Y’s intention….

This bring us closer to the continuing power of the author — in the exertion of authority over the scope and meaning of a text. When in doubt, or when we want to assert the accuracy of our perception, we may want to refer to the author. He or she becomes like an expert witness giving testimony at a trial. What do we think of this powerful function? Sometimes the answer depends on whether it’s used for or against us!

Over the next week I’d like us to be reflective about the role of authors — that is the role or function we give them. Let’s think about how we invoke them, what kind of proof they give or don’t, and the consequences. Is there anything wrong with deferring to the author, to intention? What do we do with a multi-authored text? Does author’s intention save the day or create more problems?