The English translation of Michel Foucalts essay, What is an author?

was published in
19!" The English translation of #oland $arthes essay The %eath of the &uthor
appeared first in 19' in the &spen (aga)ine and was later included in the collection
Image, Music and Text published in 19" Thus it can be said that Foucalts essay while
ne*er referring to $arthes na(e or essay, in fact, addresses so(e of the points brought
up by the latter" $arthes announces the death of the author figure that has do(inated the
world of te+ts, especially literature" ,riticis( that focuses on the author as the creator of
te+ts, according to $arthes, is responsible for placing a li(it on the interpretation or
(eaning of the te+t" The essay argues for dissolution of the i(portance accorded to the
&uthor" Meaning is not a single precise conclusion but is sub-ect to constant change and
(odifications" Thus while the essay states the end of the pri(acy of the author, it also
announces the birth of the #eader, the interpreter of te+ts, and thereby (eaning is (ade
to appear as being endless and infinite in possibilities"
Foucalt points out that there e+ists no single concept of the &uthor" .n a literary te+t, the
actual person, the author, writing the te+t is different fro( the authorial *oice that
do(inates the narrati*e and this, in turn, is not the sa(e as the narratorial *oice" .t (ight
be then said that the author is a creation of the reader" $orrowing fro( /t" 0ero(e,
Foucalt lays out the pre(ises on which the concept of the &uthor is created" The four
tenets do indicate the desire for order and hence Foucalt states that the concept of the
author is created with a *iew towards bringing so(e for( of order in (eaning, through
classification and generic syste(ati)ing"
Foucalt states that announcing the disappearance of the na(e of the author is not
ade1uate" 2e calls for a study into the space left by the na(e of the author and goes on to
show that it is not the author who is responsible for the signification of the te+t but rather,
it is the te+t that gi*es (eaning to the na(e of the author" /ha3espeares na(e is
understood in ter(s of the writer of plays, sonnets and so on" .f it is disco*ered that
/ha3espeare did not write the plays and sonnets then the (eaning the na(e holds at
present is liable to change"
Foucalt also points out that the role played by the author in literary te+ts is different fro(
that in scientific te+ts" .n literary te+ts the author is the owner of a discourse which the
te+t represents" .n scientific te+ts, while the na(e of the author is ob*iously present and
is often used to na(e the theories, the content is considered to be beyond the ownership
of the author"
Foucalt also 1uestions the idea of the Wor3" 2e shows how the te+t is not a single united
creation but is in fact is so(ewhat (ore chaotic" The finished wor3 stands alongside first
drafts, errors, corrections, notes, and so on" Thus the (ultiplicity of the te+tual identity is
a (a-or obstacle in the path of the creation of an &uthorial figure"
$arthes had drawn fro( Mallar(e and had e(phasi)ed that rather than the author
spea3ing it is the language or the te+t itself which spea3s" Foucalts proble(ati)ing of the
concept of the te+t shows how free and li(itless the possibility of (eaning itself can
beco(e" The function of the &uthor4figure is thus to bring an order in the (eaning of a
te+t" .t is created by the reader and this notion of the author is deri*ed fro( his wor3" The
author does not precede the te+t" Thus while (eaning can be freed fro( authorial
li(itations, each reader places his own li(itations and creates his5her own &uthor figure"

44 Mrinalini 6hosh 7M"8hil 1
st
year9