death of the author
E678785
Death of the author is a literary theory concept arguing that a text’s meaning is determined by readers rather than the intentions or biography of its writer.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| death of the author canonical | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
critical theory concept
ⓘ
interpretive theory ⓘ literary theory concept ⓘ |
| arguesAgainst |
privileging authorial intention in interpretation
ⓘ
treating the author as the final authority on meaning ⓘ |
| arguesThat |
meaning is produced in the act of reading
ⓘ
texts have multiple possible meanings ⓘ the author is a function rather than a sovereign origin of meaning ⓘ |
| associatedWith | Roland Barthes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| challenges |
author‑centered hermeneutics
ⓘ
biographical criticism ⓘ |
| contrastedWith |
New Criticism’s focus on the text alone
ⓘ
biographical approaches to literature ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
author‑intentionalist critics
ⓘ
some historicist scholars ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
downplaying historical context
ⓘ
neglecting the material conditions of authorship ⓘ |
| emphasizes | readerly interpretation over authorial intention ⓘ |
| formulatedIn | 20th century ⓘ |
| hasConsequence |
legitimizes diverse and conflicting interpretations
ⓘ
shifts critical focus from production to reception ⓘ |
| hasCoreIdea |
authorial biography should not govern interpretation
ⓘ
the meaning of a text is not determined by the author’s intentions ⓘ the reader plays a central role in creating textual meaning ⓘ |
| influenced |
adaptation studies
ⓘ
contemporary literary criticism ⓘ cultural studies ⓘ fan studies ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
French postwar theory
ⓘ
semiotics ⓘ structuralist linguistics ⓘ |
| keyText |
"La mort de l’auteur"
ⓘ
"The Death of the Author" essay NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| opposes | intentional fallacy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
author function
ⓘ
open text ⓘ readerly and writerly texts ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
deconstruction
ⓘ
postmodern literary theory ⓘ poststructuralism ⓘ reader‑response theory ⓘ structuralism ⓘ |
| supportsView |
interpretive authority is decentralized
ⓘ
texts can exceed what authors consciously intend ⓘ |
| usedIn |
film studies
ⓘ
literary studies ⓘ media studies ⓘ philosophy of literature ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.