Date: Thu, 09 May 2002 14:11:37 -0400
From: shawn wilbur <swilbur-AT-wcnet.org>
Subject: Re: one more try: milk and stuff


Actually, although it is one of those "rules" of various academic games to
pooh-pooh authorial intent and "authenticity," I'm uncertain whether this
leads us in any direction we really want to go. At the very least, the
rejection of "the author" is a matter of several, not necessarily
compatible, critiques. The author is dismissed variously in the name of
"art for art's sake," as part of a critique of personalism, or in the
service of focusing on extra-individual institutions and dynamics. The
politics of these various dismissals cover the political map. And none of
them, it seems to me, finally deal particularly well with the pesky fact
that there are authors (however problematic they may be in a variety of
ways.)

It seems to me that, even after "the death of the author,"
poststructuralism at least continues to acknowledge the presence of
precisely a "ghost at the margins." And that might be a very good thing...

-shawn

"steve.devos" wrote:

> Diane/Eric
>
> The raising and rekilling of the 'authorial' ghost is necessary because
> of the occasional return of the claim of authorial authenticity that
> haunts the margins of the list and sometimes surfaces.
>
> I am particularly sensitive to these issues these past two weeks as my
> daughter who is an undergraduate at Cardiff - (Philosophy and Cult Crit)
> has recently been taught/introduced to some areas of culture i.e.
> derrida in what can only be described in a ne0-authrial and
> sub-Leavisite fashion... I restrain myself and say nothing waiting for
> the light to dawn...
>
> +++++++++
>
> regards
> steve