A blog dedicated to art and design.

In Roland Barthes’ essay “The Death of the Author,” Barthes asserts that the Author is dead because they are no longer a part of the deep structure in a particular text. Barthes explains that an author is not simply a “person” but a socially and historically constituted subject. His essay describes that an author does not exist before or outside of language. In other words, the writing makes an author and not vice versa. Each piece of writing contains multiple layers and meanings. The essential meaning of a work depends on the impressions of the reader, rather than the “passions” or “tastes” of the writer; “a text’s success lies not in its origins,” or its creator, “but in its destination,” or its audience. As for me personally, I don’t find any enjoyment in writing where you have to read between the lines. When I read something, I read it for the information in them and nothing more. I do not feel that a piece of writing must be analyzed or have some deeper meaning. To be honest, I really don’t ever think twice about the author who wrote it. I don’t enjoy reading for pleasure enough, nor have the time, to familiarize myself with various authors and their work. Now I’m not saying that Barthes is a bad writer or this is a bad essay. I personally have a hard time taking anything away from this essay.