The Death of the author and it's Postmodern implications

Summary

This NPTEL lecture on Postmodernism in Literature explores the concept of 'The Death of the Author' by Roland Barthes, a seminal text for poststructuralists and postmodernists. The lecture delves into the intellectual tradition of authorship, contrasting it with modern practices and the influence of New Criticism. It emphasizes the shift from author-centric to reader-centric interpretations, where the text's meaning emerges through reader engagement rather than authorial intent. The lecture also touches on the historical emergence of the author figure and its implications for literary criticism and theory.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Postmodernism Introduction**: The lecture begins by revisiting the concept of Postmodernism, emphasizing its role as a critical framework for analyzing cultural trends and literary events.
• 🔍 **Close Reading of Texts**: The session focuses on a close reading of specific texts to understand Postmodernism, moving beyond theoretical discussions to practical literary analysis.
• ✒️ **The Death of the Author**: The central text for discussion is Roland Barthes' 'The Death of the Author,' a foundational poststructuralist text questioning the traditional importance of the author in interpreting a text.
• 🎨 **Modernism to Postmodernism Shift**: The shift from Modernism to Postmodernism is marked by significant changes in various cultural practices, including the 'death' of certain artistic and literary conventions.
• 🖼️ **Art and Authorship**: The discussion extends the concept of authorship beyond literature to other fields such as graphic design and film, highlighting the broader implications of Postmodern thought.
• 📜 **Historical Context of Authorship**: The essay 'The Intention Fallacy' by Wimsatt and Beardsley is mentioned as a precursor to Barthes' work, both challenging the idea that an author's intentions are central to understanding a text.
• 🗣️ **Reader's Role**: Barthes argues for the primacy of the reader in the interpretation process, suggesting that meaning is not inherent in the text but is constructed by the reader.
• 🔗 **Text and Reader Connection**: The text is seen as reaching its full identity through the reader's engagement, detaching the importance of the author's role after the text's creation.
• ✉️ **Work vs. Text**: Barthes differentiates between a 'work' as a physical object and a 'text' as a process in language, where the latter involves the reader in a dynamic interpretive act.
• 🚫 **Rejecting Authorial Authority**: The transformation of a work into a text occurs when the reader refuses to accept the author's authority over the text's meaning, promoting a democratic reading experience.
• 📈 **The Rise of the Author Figure**: Barthes locates the emergence of the author as a modern construct, linked to Western philosophical ideas and the rise of individual prestige during the modern era.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the NPTEL course session on Postmodernism in Literature?

The main focus of the session is to explore Postmodernism through a close reading of specific texts, particularly Roland Barthes' 'The Death of the Author,' and to discuss its implications on the concepts of authorship, text, and reading practices within a Postmodernist framework.

What is the significance of the title 'The Death of the Author' in the context of Postmodernism?

The title 'The Death of the Author' signifies a critical shift away from traditional views of authorship, suggesting that the author's intentions and identity are not central to the interpretation of a text. It aligns with Postmodernist and Poststructuralist ideas that emphasize the reader's role in creating meaning.

How does the end of Modernism relate to the concept of 'The Death of the Author'?

The end of Modernism marked a cultural and intellectual shift that included the 'death' of various frameworks and subject positions, including the traditional concept of the author. This shift paved the way for the emergence of Postmodernism, where the authority of the author over the text's meaning is questioned.

What is the role of the reader in Barthes' view of a text?

In Barthes' view, the reader plays an active role in the meaning-making process. The reader engages with the text and participates in its interpretation, with the text's meaning being derived from this interaction rather than being inherent within the text itself.

How does the concept of a 'Readerly text' differ from a 'Writerly text' according to Barthes?

A 'Readerly text' is one that requires a passive reader, as the author has predetermined the meaning and there is little room for interpretation. In contrast, a 'Writerly text' demands an active reader who engages with the text to create meaning, offering a more participatory and interpretative experience.

What is the distinction between a 'work' and a 'text' as defined by Barthes?

A 'work' is a physical object, like a book, that can be held and occupies space on a shelf. It becomes a 'text' only when it reaches the reader and engages in a process of interpretation. A text is a process in language that involves the reader in decoding and meaning-making.

What is the historical context of the emergence of the author figure according to Barthes?

Barthes argues that the author figure is a modern construct, emerging at the end of the Middle Ages in connection with English empiricism, French rationalism, and the personal faith of the Reformation. It is a product of Western philosophical ideas and the needs of modern society.

How does the concept of authorship evolve across different historical periods?

The concept of authorship has evolved significantly over time. In primitive societies, the author was often absent, with more emphasis on the performance of the speaker or mediator. In earlier literary periods, many works were authored anonymously, and the identity of the author was not crucial. It was not until the modern era that the author's identity became central to the text.

What is the relationship between the author's intentions and the interpretation of a text in the New Criticism approach?

In the New Criticism approach, the author's intentions are considered irrelevant to the interpretation of a text. This school of thought, represented by Wimsatt and Beardsley's 'The Intention Fallacy,' argues that the text should be read in isolation from the author's biography and intentions.

How does the essay 'The Death of the Author' challenge traditional views on the authority of the author?

The essay challenges traditional views by arguing that the author's identity and intentions are not central to the meaning of a text. It posits that the text's unity lies not in its origin (with the author) but in its destination (with the reader), and that the reader, not the author, is the key participant in the meaning-making process.

What is the significance of the title 'The Death of the Author' as a pun on 'Le Morte d’Arthur'?

The title 'The Death of the Author' is a pun on 'Le Morte d’Arthur,' a work that popularized the legends of King Arthur. This allusion suggests a parallel between the end of the author's dominance in textual interpretation and the end of the reign of King Arthur, highlighting the thematic focus on the decline of the author's authority.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Postmodernism in Literature

This paragraph introduces the NPTEL course on Postmodernism in Literature, highlighting the aim to delve into specific texts that exemplify Postmodernism as a concept and a critical framework. The session's focus is on Roland Barthes' seminal essay, 'The Death of the Author,' which is frequently referenced by Poststructuralists and Postmodernists to discuss the relationship between the text, the author, and contemporary reading practices. The lecturer also connects the end of Modernism with the 'death' of various frameworks and the rise of new cultural practices, such as the evolution in painting and the emergence of Pop-art, to set the stage for the discussion on the changing role of the authorship.

05:04

🎨 The Evolution of Authorship Across Disciplines

The paragraph explores the broader implications of authorship beyond literature, referencing recent discussions in graphic design and film theory that elevate the roles of the designer and the director, respectively, to that of an author. It also mentions the historical evolution of the author's role, from the anonymity of early literary works to the modern emphasis on the author's identity. The discussion leads to the intellectual tradition that predates Barthes' essay, with references to Wimsatt and Beardsley's 'The Intention Fallacy,' which marked a significant shift in literary criticism by differentiating between the author and the text, challenging the importance of the author's intentions in interpreting a text.

10:12

📜 The Intellectual Context of 'The Death of the Author'

This paragraph provides historical context for Roland Barthes' essay, positioning it within the broader literary and cultural shifts of the 1960s. Barthes' work, which argues for the 'death' of the author as a critical figure, is situated alongside other influential texts of the time, such as Derrida's 'Of Grammatology.' The paragraph emphasizes the significance of the essay's publication in 1967, a pivotal year in the history of Postmodernism, and discusses Barthes' own intellectual journey from Structuralism to Poststructuralism. The summary also touches on the distinction between 'Readerly' and 'Writerly' texts, highlighting the active role of the reader in the latter and the shift away from the author as the sole source of meaning.

15:17

🛠 The Transformation of Work into Text

The paragraph delves into the transformation of a work into a text, emphasizing the reader's role in this process. It discusses how a work becomes a text when the reader engages with it, refusing to acknowledge the author's authority over meaning. The text is described as a 'play' between the reader and the text, allowing for an open and experimental interaction. The paragraph also distinguishes between a work and a text, with the latter being a process in language that is brought to life through the reader's engagement. The author's role is diminished, and the reader is celebrated as the key participant in the meaning-making process.

20:19

🗝️ The Historical Emergence and Role of the Author

This paragraph examines the historical emergence of the author figure, arguing that the author is a modern construct that arose during the transition from the Middle Ages. It discusses how the author's role has evolved over time, from a period where authorship was not emphasized to the modern era where the author's identity is central to the interpretation of a text. The paragraph also connects the rise of the author with broader intellectual and philosophical trends, such as English empiricism and French rationalism, and suggests that the author figure is a product of Western intellectual thought and societal needs.

Keywords

💡Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a philosophical movement characterized by skepticism, relativism, and a general distrust of grand theories and ideologies. In the context of the video, Postmodernism is the overarching theme, with the lecturer exploring its implications in literature and culture. The script discusses how Postmodernism questions traditional narratives and the role of the author, as exemplified by Roland Barthes' seminal text 'The Death of the Author'.

💡Close Reading

Close reading is a method of textual analysis that involves a careful examination of a text to uncover its meanings, themes, and techniques. The video script mentions close reading as a method to understand Postmodernism through the analysis of specific texts, which allows for a deeper engagement with the material and its Postmodern implications.

💡Author

The term 'Author' in the script refers to the traditional concept of the creator of a literary work. The video discusses the evolution of the role and significance of the author in the context of Postmodernism, particularly through Barthes' argument for 'The Death of the Author,' which posits that the meaning of a text is not determined by the author's intentions but is instead constructed by the reader.

💡Poststructuralism

Poststructuralism is a movement in literary and cultural theory that emerged in the mid-20th century, which challenges the structuralist emphasis on structure and binary oppositions. In the script, Poststructuralism is mentioned as a framework that both informs and is informed by Postmodernism, with Barthes being a key figure who transitioned from Structuralism to Poststructuralism.

💡Text

In the video, 'Text' refers to the written work that is the subject of analysis. The script discusses the concept of the text in relation to the author and the reader, emphasizing the idea that a text takes on a life of its own, independent of the author's intentions, and is open to multiple interpretations by readers.

💡New Criticism

New Criticism is a school of literary criticism that emerged in the early 20th century, emphasizing close reading of the text itself, without concern for the author's intentions or historical context. The script references Wimsatt and Beardsley's 'The Intention Fallacy,' which argues for a separation between the author and the text, a concept that has parallels in Postmodernist thought.

💡Reader

The 'Reader' in the script is central to the Postmodernist perspective on literature. The video discusses how the reader actively engages with the text, contributing to its meaning through interpretation. This concept is in contrast to the traditional view where the author's intentions were seen as the primary source of meaning.

💡Meaning

The concept of 'Meaning' in the script is explored in relation to the interaction between the reader and the text. It is suggested that meaning is not inherent in the text but is constructed through the reader's engagement and interpretation, which is a key aspect of Postmodernist and Poststructuralist thought.

💡Structuralism

Structuralism is a theoretical framework that emphasizes the underlying structures in cultural and social phenomena. The script mentions Barthes' early work within Structuralism, which later evolved into Poststructuralist thought. Structuralism is presented as a precursor to the ideas discussed in the video, particularly in the context of how texts are analyzed and understood.

💡Work vs. Text

The script distinguishes between 'Work' and 'Text', with 'Work' being a physical object and 'Text' being a process in language. This distinction is important in understanding Barthes' argument that a work only becomes a text when it is engaged with by the reader, who participates in the creation of its meaning.

Highlights

Introduction to the NPTEL course on Postmodernism in Literature, emphasizing the importance of understanding Postmodernism as both an idea and a critical framework.

The session's focus on close reading of texts to understand Postmodernism, particularly Roland Barthes' seminal text 'The Death of the Author'.

Discussion on the Postmodernist and Poststructuralist use of 'The Death of the Author' to challenge traditional views on text, authorship, and reading practices.

Exploration of the end of Modernism and the beginning of Postmodernism as a period marked by the 'death' of multiple frameworks and subject positions.

Analysis of changes in painting and the emergence of Pop-art as indicative of the shift from Modernism to Postmodernism.

The concept of the Author's death being part of broader cultural and intellectual shifts beyond the literary realm.

The intellectual tradition traced back to Wimsatt and Beardsley's 'The Intention Fallacy' as a precursor to Barthes' ideas.

Introduction of the Auteur theory in film and the evolving perception of the Author's role across different media.

Barthes' distinction between 'Readerly' and 'Writerly' texts and the implications for reader engagement and meaning-making.

The argument that the text's unity lies not in its origin (Author) but in its destination (Reader), emphasizing reader's role in interpretation.

Differentiation between a 'work' and a 'text', with the latter being a process in language involving the reader.

Barthes' view on the Author as a symbol of authority and controller of meaning, and the necessity for the reader to challenge this authority.

The transformation of a work into a text through the reader's engagement and refusal to acknowledge Authorial Authority.

The historical context of the Author's emergence as a modern figure, linked to English empiricism, French rationalism, and Reformation.

The Author's role in discovering the prestige of the individual and its significance in the historical context.

Encouragement for participants to read the original version of 'The Death of the Author' for a deeper understanding of Barthes' arguments.

Transcripts

Good morning everyone; welcome to today's  session of the NPTEL course Postmodernism  

in Literature. In the first week’s lectures we  started looking at the idea of Postmodernism,  

we spoke about the different frameworks within  which Postmodernism exists and the multiple  

ways in which one could begin to access it  as an idea and also as a critical framework. 

So, in today's session, we begin to look  at particular texts, we begin to undertake  

a close reading of texts which are helpful to  frame and understand Postmodernism as an idea,  

as a movement, and as a conceptual and theoretical  framework. We also in the first week’s lectures,  

reiterate the idea that Postmodernism in  this course, is being used as a conceptual  

and theoretical framework which could  be used to analyze particular cultural  

trends particular literary events and also  various intellectual and literary sites. 

So, today's lecture is titled The Death of  the Author and its Postmodern Implications.  

The Death of the Author, as some of you  may know, is a very seminal text which is  

increasingly being used by Poststructuralists  and also by Postmodernists to talk about the  

ideas related to text and Author and also the  practices of reading in the contemporary. So,  

we try to undertake a close reading of this text  by Roland Barthes by engaging with it within the  

Postmodernist frameworks. And also to see how  this text enables us to question and to redefine  

various conventional aspects related to reading,  text’s Author and also the practices of criticism. 

In the end of Modernism, as we have seen in  the previous lectures, it signaled the death  

of many things that Modernism stood for. So,  when we talk about The Death of the Author it  

is not a singular thing that happened in the  Postmodern phase. The end of Modernism and  

the beginning of Postmodernism also signaled  and marked the death of multiple frameworks,  

various objects and subject of positions as well. For example, if we take the case of painting after  

the Modernist period; we saw a gradual breaking  down of form, leading to a denial of subject. And  

then we also saw how brush stroke and texture  was altogether demolished from the practice of  

painting, we also saw significantly the emergence  of Pop-art with Andy Warhol’s digital art, digital  

painting. It also became a movement and a dominant  cultural iconic practice. And gradually, towards  

the end of the Modernist period, and with the high  period of Postmodernism, we also saw there is a  

complete annihilation of any painting technique. So, this is the end of a Modernist journey in  

painting. And in various other forms of practices  and trends, we could see similar kinds of deaths  

happening. In fact, we saw the death of art as  an institution, the idea of a text has undergone  

a number of changes and even the Author’s  authorship- all of those are the contested  

notions in the contemporary times for the  shift from Modernism to Postmodernism. 

So, in today's session, we begin to locate the  idea of the Author, if Roland Barthes’ essay  

talks about The Death of the Author, and in the  beginning it is also important for us to trace  

within which intellectual tradition, discussions  about the Author had begin to emerge; this is not  

a new thing that Barthes entirely initiated and  this is not the discussions about the Author even  

now we need to reiterate that it is not yet over. For example, there is a book as recent as  

published in 2013, about the designer, titled  The Designer as Author Producer Activist  

Entrepreneur Curator and Collaborator-  this is a work by Stephen Mccarthy;  

it has been much discussed in this field of  graphic designing also elevating the position  

of a graphic designer to that of the Author. And in film theory this has been discussed a  

little earlier in the previous decades itself  there is Auteur theory which film critics  

often talk about where the film director  is equated with the Author of a film. And  

as Stanley Kubrick has famously stated, “one  man writes a novel. One man writes a symphony-  

it is essential that one man make a film”. So, this discussion about the Author is not  

limited to the printed words on a page. It is not  limited to books; it in fact, could be extended  

to a number of texts whether it is a graphic  design or a movie or anything that we see around. 

So, in that sense, the ideas about the Author,  the discussions the discourses generated about  

the Author is a is a very prolific and a  thriving field in itself. So, if we try to  

trace the intellectual tradition of this even  before Roland Barthes wrote The Death of the  

Author, we have an essay published by Wimsatt and  Beardsley in 1946 titled The Intention Fallacy. 

So, this work was a product of the school of  criticism known as New Criticism; we may also  

begin to see certain echoes of New Criticism  in some of the arguments that Barthes begins to  

make in his own essay. And in fact, The Intention  Fallacy is a work which went down in the history  

of literary criticism as a seminal work which  drew a wedge between the Author and the text. 

So, there is a distinction that this work  makes between the Author and the text. So,  

this is in stark contrast with the previous  periods in literary history; where the Author  

and the text function as inseparable objects.  The text becomes a product of the Author and the  

Author’s biography, the Author’s intention so,  to speak in writing the text becomes very very  

important in our understanding of the text itself. So, we have the new critics emerging in the 1940s  

and 1950s who argue that this entire notion is  a fallacy. And they also begin, the New Critics  

particularly they also begin to argue that the  reader could never really know the Author. So,  

knowing the Author also becomes a very contested  notion and further in their arguments Wimsatt and  

Beardsley; they began to say that the point is  not really belong to the Author, it is detached  

from the Author right from moment of its birth  and the poem actually belongs to the public. 

So, to assume that, to believe that the Author  has got any control over the intent of the poem;  

or any sort of a power to control how the poem is  being received- it is a complete fallacy to even  

assume that such a power is being invested on the  Author. So, the New Critics began to argue for a  

way in which the texts could be read in isolation  with the Author by focusing only on the practices  

of reading, only on the aspects of reading. So, from this moment we come to Roland  

Barthes’ The Death of the Author which is  published in 1967; 1967 is an important  

date in the history of literary criticism and  also in the history of Postmodernism. In fact,  

this is one year after the year that Brian Mchale  designates as the starting point of Postmodernism,  

this is also the year when Derrida published his  celebrated work Of Grammatology. Of Grammatology  

incidentally also became a foundational  text of deconstructive literary criticism. 

So, Barthes’ essay gets published at such a  critical juncture in literary and cultural  

history and he very controversially titles it The  Death of the Author. And that is not just the end  

of the discussion and after Barthes’ essay in  1967 which announces The Death of the Author,  

we come to Foucault’s work in 1968, where he  asked this question “ what is an Author?”-  

he breaks down the idea of the Author, he  tries to problematize the Author function  

and talks about how the Author function has  changed historically and what its position  

is in the contemporary which is the 1960’s. So, these two texts also, as we see in the  

later sessions; we will be reading these two  texts in dialogue with each other trying to  

see together what kind of sense they help  us to make about text and the functions of  

the text and functions of the Authors. So, here we now begin to take a look at  

the essay The Death of the Author- this  is published by Roland Barthes in 1967.  

And first it appeared in an American journal  titled Aspen. And Roland Barthes incidentally,  

was a French literary critic and theorist most  of his works were available to us in translation. 

And his work in terms of criticism, in terms  of cultural theory, it is a very interesting  

and it is considered as particularly important  because he has located at the intersection of  

structuralism and Poststructuralism. And here,  if we also survey some of the Barthes’ works,  

we will get to know that in his early phase  he was more Structuralist in his approach,  

but towards the second half of his carrier; we  find him being more influenced and also becoming  

more influential in Poststructuralist practices. The Death of the Author is one such essay which  

could be located as a seminal text within the  sphere of Poststructuralism, it is also considered  

as one of the essays which would help us to begin  talking about not just Postmodernism, but also the  

various practices within Poststructuralism. And  this title The Death of the Author, is In fact,  

is a pun on Le Morte d’ Arthur which could be  translated as The death of Arthur referring to  

King Arthur and Thomas Malory had popularized  Arthurian legends by compiling the various  

legends, folk tales, stories about King Arthur  and this text was published in 1485. So, this  

title The Death of the Author is a pun allusion  to the fifteenth-century text Le Morte d’ Arthur. 

So, the primary argument in this essay The  Death of the Author is against a method of  

reading and criticism that relies on aspects  of Author's identity. So, throughout this  

essay what primarily tries to contest is  the Author's identity and also pronounces  

his or her death towards the end of the work. It is important to see how Barthes establishes  

a connection between the reader and the  text. So, he begins to see that the reader  

is directly connected with the text and the  text has an identity, the text begins to reach  

its destination only through an engagement  with the reader. And his works, in general,  

Barthes’ works in general could be considered  as some of the earliest moves in rebelling  

against Structuralist reading of texts. So, this is very important because though  

Barthes begins his intellectual journey as a  structuralist, though most of his early works are  

predominantly structuralist, towards the end, he  is better known in history as a poststructuralist  

theorist or someone who rebelled against the  structural methods and practices of reading and  

criticism. And Barthes also makes a distinction  between Readerly text and Writerly text and for  

him, the Readerly text is sort of a text which  does not demand anything much from the reader;  

it only requires a passive reader because the  Author has already sorted out everything for the,  

reader there is hardly any puzzle to solve,  there is hardly any work for the Author, there is  

hardly any work for the reader in a Readerly text. But on the other hand the Writerly text demands an  

active role of the reader and here we also see  that the reader when he engages with the text,  

he also participates in this meaning-making  process. And the meaning according to Barthes,  

is not embodied within the text; text  ceases to be an object which offers meaning,  

but the meaning is within the reader. So, only when the text comes in communion,  

in connection with the reader; the text begins to  send out meanings the text begins to make meaning.  

So, this is a derived meaning which comes  out after a process as he identifies it. So,  

reading becomes an active process only when the  reader engages with the text and participates in  

the meaning-making process. And in that sense,  Barthes also argues that text’s unity lies not  

in its origin, but in its destination when it  reaches the reader and origin is with the Author. 

So, the text which gets produced originally  by the Author ceases to be important and the  

relation between the, connection between the text  and reader becomes all the more important in the  

meaning-making process and also in accessing  the text as a coherent, understandable feature. 

Here it is also important to make a distinction  between a work and text; if reading is a textual  

process, then certainly the texts are very  different from works. So, Barthes makes this  

distinction in number of his works and some of  his important works are The Pleasure of the Text  

published in 1973 and Image Music and Text- a  compilation of his essays in 1977. Trying to  

distinguish work from a text, Barthes argues  that work is a physical object that occupies  

shelf-space and it’s carried in the hand, it does  not become a text until it reaches the reader. 

But text is a process in language; so, this is  important to remember that this is also linked  

with some of the Deconstructionist practices, and  Derrida also had an immense influence in the way  

in which Barthes’ ideas were getting shaped.  And for Barthes texts are series of linguistic  

processes that are decoded by the reader; so,  when Barthes talks about a text, the Author  

ceases to be important, the reader emerges as the  single most important entity who is participating  

in this meaning-making process. And text also  assumes a structure of a narrative negotiation  

between language of the text and the reader. So, all of these aspects, all of these  

negotiations, all of these interactions happen  between the text and the reader and we do not  

see the Author emerging as an important figure  at any point of time. His task ends the moment  

he completes his work and the work becomes a text  only when it reaches the reader and as he codes in  

one of his works the text is experienced  only as an activity of production. So,  

it becomes an experience in the hand of  the reader and the work gets transformed  

into a text only when the reader accesses it. Having said that, this transformation from work  

to text we need to see how this happens as well.  So, a work becomes a text not just when the reader  

accesses it, but also when the reader refuses  to engage with the Authorial Authority. So,  

Author in this sense, becomes a symbol of  Authority and also a controller of meaning. 

So, only when the reader refuses to acknowledge  that the Author is invested with the power to  

control meaning, or Author is invested with  this power to be ultimate Authority on what  

the text actually implies, or what the  text actually means only then the work  

actually gets transformed into a text. So, the text is in fact, according to  

Barthes a play between the text and the  reader, and You need to pay attention to  

this word ‘play’ because he also uses it very  deliberately because play is something which is,  

which is not confined to any sort of rigid  understanding. So, there is a lot of room to  

experiment, a lot of ways in which the reader  can play with the text, the reader can interact  

with the text. So, this basic understanding is  very very important to be able to understand  

and access the work The Death of the Author. So, when we talk about the absence of the  

Authorial figure, when we talk about understanding  the text in isolation with the Author and about  

completely refusing to take into consideration;  the Author’s intentions while he was composing  

a particular work; well perhaps this almost  sounds like a restatement of the New Critical  

dogma of literary work’s independence-  autonomy as the New Critics will put it;  

and this autonomy that the new critics celebrated  from historical and biographical background  

reading a text in isolation with all the other  factors that surround the text’s production which  

also was articulated by Beardsley and Wimsatt  in their 1946 essay The Intention Fallacy. 

Whether Barthes’ work is a continuation of this  New Critical approach; or whether it echoes or  

restates any of the concerns new critics had in  the beginning is a question that we shall come  

back to deal with. But; however, at this point  it would just suffice to know that Barthes’ works  

dismiss all humanistic notions and in that sense,  it is not quite New Critical in its approach. And  

in Barthes’ approach according to Raman Selden, a  leading cultural theorist and critic, the readers  

are free to open and close the text’s signifying  process without respect for the signified. 

So, these are certain terms which are  associated with a number of structuralists,  

poststructuralists and deconstructive reading  methods; we shall be coming back to some of these  

terms in detail. So, Barthes’ work gives autonomy  to the reader and it is more about a celebration  

of the reader’s attempts to freely read and  interpret without any limiting categories. 

So, as and when we begin to discuss Barthes’  work, it is very important to locate the Author-  

the figure of the Author. Barthes argues that  the Author is a very modern figure and this is  

a significant point to be noted because he himself  states that in the primitive societies the Author,  

the Author figure was absent, it was only  a mediator who was available or a speaker.  

And his performance was more valued by the public  who gathered to listen to a story or a particular  

rendition, or a narration because oral literature  was also prominent in the primitive societies,  

the performance of the mediator or the speaker  was more important and his genius was not really  

admired. So, the function of the Author; the role  of the Author was of a different kind altogether,  

In this context it is also useful to remember  that if we look at the ways in which the idea  

of the Author has evolved across literary  historical periods; in the earlier periods,  

we come across a number of works which were  Authored by anonymous Authors because they  

considered it not very important to put down  their name against their own works; it was not  

important to identify the work in connection with  the Author of the work. So, even, you know, if you  

take the case of the first available Anglo Saxon  text Beowulf, the Author is anonymous and number  

of attempts have been made in the later stages to  see whether the Author is a Christian writer or  

a Pagan writer influenced by Christian elements.  So, the current way in which we accesses texts is  

entirely based on the identity of the Author. So, there was a period of time in history  

where the identity of the Author or even the  presence of the Author was not very important.  

Narratives when they were seen as repositories  from which anyone could freely borrow and freely  

take; there were absolutely no idea of stories  or particular art objects being copyrighted. 

And also significantly, until about the fifteenth  and sixteenth centuries, the Author was not held  

responsible or accountable for a particular  work that he produced. The responsibility  

and the accountability entirely rested on the  printer because he was the one who published  

it the owner of the printer, the owner of the  publishing house was more responsible for it. 

Given that printing was a very modern phenomenon  which made its entry in the fifteenth century,  

it took a while to be able to understand that; the  printer was perhaps only a medium in disseminating  

the work; the primary responsibility  rests entirely with the Author. So,  

we shall be taking a more detailed and closer  look at the Author functionary, talk about  

Michel Foucault’s work What is an Author. So, in Barthes’ works right at the beginning,  

he tries to locate the Author as a modern figure.  And this is very important for taking the argument  

forward because Barthes also wants us to keep  in mind that the Author is a constructed figure  

that it was not an idea which was always already  there; that it is produced by our society at the  

end of the middle ages. So, this historical  understanding about the idea of the Author;  

the emergence of the Author becomes very important  in and also locate in the significance of the  

Author vis-à-vis the reader and also in  context, in connection with the text. 

So, when he talks about the Author being a very  modern phenomenon; that the birth of the Author  

happens at a very modern stage in history,  he also makes particular references here. He  

associates the emergence of Author as a modern  in connection with English empiricism, French  

rationalism and the personal faith of Reformation. So, here we can also see that the Author as  

Barthes sees it, is a construct, is a product of  the Western-dominant philosophical ideas; it is a  

product of the Western intellectual thought.  It is also a product of whatever the modern  

society required, whatever the modern society  was responding to. As the essay progresses,  

we will also see how he uses this historical  location, how he uses this relatively modern  

emergence of the idea of the Author to also  talk about the text, reader and the reading  

process equally as a historical phenomenon. And Barthes, in that sense, makes a connection  

between the emergence of the Author as a  modern figure and how it discovered the  

prestige of the individual. So, there is a way  in which the Author gets situated historically;  

he is a product of a number of intellectual  trends and thoughts; he is also someone who  

helps discover the prestige of the individual. So, as we wind up today's session, it is important  

for us to keep in mind these starting points in  order to be able to access the essay in the next  

session. I strongly encourage you to read the  original version of Barthes’ essay The Death  

of the Author. It is a fairly short piece  and the translations are widely available  

in the web for you to access. So, a close  reading of this particular text would be  

undertaken in the next session, where we shall  be dissecting the various things that Barthes  

puts forward in order to be able to argue and  convince us about The Death of the Author. 

Thank you for listening I look forward  to seeing you in the next session.