Authorship
"The Death of the Author" by Roland Barthes challenges traditional literary criticism by questioning the authority and importance of the author in interpreting their text. He advocates the separation of the author’s identity from the interpretation of a work, arguing that the traditional approach to understanding a text unnecessarily and excessively emphasizes the author's intentions and biography. Barthes states, “a multi -dimensional space in which a variety of writings, none of them original, blend and clash. The text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centers of culture“ (146). in which he centrally means that the reader's interpretation will take precedence over the author's intended meaning.
He claims that the author's presence within a text creates limitations on its interpretation. Barthes asserts, "To give a text an Author is to impose a limit on that text” (147). He suggests that attributing a single, definitive meaning to a work based on the author's intentions restricts the potential richness and plurality of interpretations that readers can derive from it. This does, however, ponder the consideration that there is no such thing as an original idea. Sherrie Levine’s artist statement so closely resembles Barthes’s essay, even using the exact same sentence of “a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centers of culture.” This is not the first time Sherrie Levine has controversially reproduced copies of other artist’s work. The ever so slight changes that she’s contributed to current works of Walker Evans, Eliot Porter and Edward Weston, have successfully but debatably loopholed counts for plagiarism. This controversy is what creates grey area between Barthes’s philosophy and plagiarism.
Now, back to Barthes: According to his views, the author's role in creating a text does not grant them absolute authority over its meaning. He states, "Writing is the destruction of every voice, of every point of origin“ (142). This idea challenges the notion that the author is the sole origin of a text's meaning, advocating instead for a more dynamic and open-ended approach to interpretation. Furthermore, Barthes introduces the concept of the "scriptor," contrasting it with the traditional notion of the author. He proposes that the scriptor is a function rather than a person, highlighting the collaborative nature of writing where multiple influences and cultural contexts contribute to the creation of a text. This aligns with his belief that a text is a product of various cultural, linguistic, and historical elements beyond the author’s control. With this in mind, Levine was able to get away with so much of her plagiarism.
He claims that the author's presence within a text creates limitations on its interpretation. Barthes asserts, "To give a text an Author is to impose a limit on that text” (147). He suggests that attributing a single, definitive meaning to a work based on the author's intentions restricts the potential richness and plurality of interpretations that readers can derive from it. This does, however, ponder the consideration that there is no such thing as an original idea. Sherrie Levine’s artist statement so closely resembles Barthes’s essay, even using the exact same sentence of “a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centers of culture.” This is not the first time Sherrie Levine has controversially reproduced copies of other artist’s work. The ever so slight changes that she’s contributed to current works of Walker Evans, Eliot Porter and Edward Weston, have successfully but debatably loopholed counts for plagiarism. This controversy is what creates grey area between Barthes’s philosophy and plagiarism.
Now, back to Barthes: According to his views, the author's role in creating a text does not grant them absolute authority over its meaning. He states, "Writing is the destruction of every voice, of every point of origin“ (142). This idea challenges the notion that the author is the sole origin of a text's meaning, advocating instead for a more dynamic and open-ended approach to interpretation. Furthermore, Barthes introduces the concept of the "scriptor," contrasting it with the traditional notion of the author. He proposes that the scriptor is a function rather than a person, highlighting the collaborative nature of writing where multiple influences and cultural contexts contribute to the creation of a text. This aligns with his belief that a text is a product of various cultural, linguistic, and historical elements beyond the author’s control. With this in mind, Levine was able to get away with so much of her plagiarism.
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| Sherrie Levine vs Walker Evans 1930's Great Depression photo |
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