The death and return of the author : criticism and subjectivity in Barthes, Foucault and Derrida

Author / Creator

Burke, Sean, 1961-

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Summary

In contemporary thought the death of the author has assumed a significance comparable only to the death of God in the nineteenth century, yet no clear statement of what is meant by this notion has ...

In contemporary thought the death of the author has assumed a significance comparable only to the death of God in the nineteenth century, yet no clear statement of what is meant by this notion has emerged in critical theory. In this study, Sean Burke provides not only the first detailed explanation of anti-authorialism, but also shows how - even taken on its own terms - the attempt to abolish the author is fundamentally misguided and philosophically untenable. Burke makes clear his admiration for the theorists he reads, but argues that authorship is a blind spot in their work. Rather than developing the customary humanist defence, Burke out-theorises theory through rigorous readings which demonstrate that the concept of the author remained profoundly active even as its disappearance was being articulated. In so doing, he effectively deconstructs deconstruction and proposes a revitalised conception of authorship for the modern era. The first in its field, this book is indispensable reading for all with an interest in the fate of authors and the future of literary studies.

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