Death of The Author

Curium | 28 Feb 2014 | News | General

When tired, I’ll often revert to aimlessly surfing the internet. While this usually results in hours of YouTube videos of funny cats, occasionally I end up on something slightly more highbrow.

 

It was on one of these occasions where I stumbled upon the term “Death of the Author.”

 

The name and concept originate from a 1967 essay by the French literary critic and theorist Roland Barthes. It suggests that the author’s intent or background are entirely irrelevant when analysing their writing. That once it is out there, the reader’s interpretation is as valid as the author’s.

 

As you would expect from a French literary critic called Roland, there is a lot more to it than that but a great illustration of at least part of the concept is the short story “The Immortal Bard” by Isaac Asimov. William Shakespeare is brought to the future and winds up getting enrolled on a night school course based on his own plays. He fails!

 

It doesn’t matter what your intention was. Once it is out there, the reader’s interpretation is as valid as yours.

 

While not directly comparable, I’ve found it a useful concept to apply to my own written communication. Whether that’s re-reading it one more time, getting someone else to read it or even just being more understanding when people interpret it in a different way than I intended.

Back to Content
Recent Content
Measuring Success and Thriving Amid Challenges
The Hidden Cost of Inefficient Meetings: A Wake-Up Call
Mastering the Budgeting Game: A High-Stakes Gamble
Curium welcomes 3 new team members in the UK and USA
Categories
Performance
Change
ERP Implementation
Coaching
Technology
Curium
General News
General
Lead Change
Sustain Change
Deliver Change
Manage Payback
Supply Chain
People
4 Day Week
Transformation
Related Content
Measuring Success and Thriving Amid Challenges
Transformation
Measuring Success and Thriving Amid Challenges
21 September 2023
Sticky-notes-on-face-to-take-a-break
Performance
The Hidden Cost of Inefficient Meetings: A Wake-Up Call
18 September 2023