OUIL501-The Death of the Author

What Message is Barthes Trying to Convey?

• In the modern world the origin of a work may lie with the author, but its destination is with the reader, everything comes down to the readers perception in the end.
• Historically we relied more or authors intent and took their word for everything, but now we're more open to looking at work having multiple interpretations and the readers interpretation being the truest.
• Historically we were more inclined to consider an authors entire background and history when looking at their work, now we can look at the work in an isolated way. When the author is taken away the reader must assign their own meaning to the text.

How Does this Impact Illustration? 

• In the modern world a lot of illustration is done solely for clients, perhaps for corporations, and with that those clients will probably not want any underlaying opinions, messages, etc from the artists, their work will simply go out as if it exists in a vacuum. This relates to the Death of the Author concept because in these situations the artists work will be seen by viewers who will form their own opinion, and the voice of the author will probably not be present.
• It also shows how the viewer of the work can take their own meanings from it without having to also consider what the artists ideas where when making the piece.
• Also in the modern world of the internet, it's easy for artwork to go uncredited and thus completely disconnected from the artist, existing on it's own.

How Does it Relate to Your Chosen Theme?  

• The cultural change of the authors word being law, now it's with the reader/viewer represents a cultural change.
• The culture author was thought to have a significant impact on the interpretation of the work, but this theory questions it.

This session was very interesting, I've come across Barthes ideas before in the context of an author arguing with how the majority of viewer saw his work, but it was good to look at the theory in depth. It also gave me questions, such as what would Barthes think of the modern world we live in which is more connected and disconnected than ever? What would he think of the internet? How would this change his ideas?

I see more and more oftern authors being held accountable for the content of their work. Also due to the resurgence of sub cultures wanting to keep things real do the modern audience crave the authenticity of the author/artist? Via doing these things are we demanding the "Resurrection of the Author" ?? Is the Author not dead, just sleeping? Questions.