Assistant Professor

Department of English

Armapore P.G. College

 Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India 

"This was woman herself, with her sudden fears, her irrational whims, her instinctive Worries , her impetuous boldness, her fussings, and her delicious sensibility."

With the above lines from the novella ‘Sarrasine’ of "Honore' de Balzac", the essay starts. Who is speaking thus? In the story, the protagonist, Sarrasine, is indeed unaware of the true identity of La Zambinella, who is revealed to be a castrato. Balzac's exploration of gender, identity, and the perception of femininity is a recurring theme in his work, reflecting his personal experiences and philosophical views on women.We shall never know, for the good reason that writing is the destruction of every voice , of every point of origin -By giving this example of Balzac, Roland Barthes explained the theme of his essay  The Death of the Author.

 Roland Barthes was a French literary and Cultural critic. He was a leading leader of both the structuralist and Post-structuralist movement. Roland Barthes was indeed a highly influential intellectual, particularly in the fields of literary theory, semiotics, and cultural studies. His works, such as "Mythologies" and "The Death of the Author," have had a significant impact on the way we understand language, literature, and society.He was born on 12 November 1915 in the town of Cherbourg in Normandy and died in Paris On 26 march 1980.The essay The Death of the Author was published originally as 'La mort de l'auteur' in 1968. Later on it was published as The Death of the Author in 1977. In the essay Barthes’ basic point is that the author's life is not part of the literary object.

Roland Barthes was less concerned with evaluating the quality or value of literary works and more focused on understanding the underlying ontology or nature of the literary object itself. His approach often involved analyzing the structures, symbols, and cultural significance embedded within texts, rather than making subjective judgments about their artistic merit.His argument has three stands to it. First, When an author creates a character and gives that character voice the author ceases to be the one who is speaking. Second, all  writing is simply words on page, so it is language itself that speaks not an author. Third, all writing is quotation. Barthes famously argued against the reliance on the author's identity in literary interpretation and criticism. He believed that interpreting a text solely through the lens of the author's biography or intentions limited the potential meanings and significance of the work. Instead, Barthes advocated for a focus on the text itself, emphasizing the reader's role in constructing meaning and interpreting the text independently of the author's personal background or intentions. This perspective is encapsulated in his essay "The Death of the Author," where he argues for the autonomy of the text from the author's authority.

 According to Barthes literary work should be separate from author's identity. Each literary work contains multiple layers and meanings. The essential meaning of a work depends on the impressions of the reader, rather than the passions and tastes of the writer. The text's usefulness lies not in its author but in its meanings. In his essay, Barthes examines the complex relationship between the author and their product , as well as the role of the reader in literary criticism. He aimed to separate the personal aspects, such as the author's identity and intentions, from the analytical and creative processes involved in interpreting literary works. By doing so, Barthes emphasized the importance of approaching texts with an open mind and allowing readers to engage with the text independently, free from the constraints of the author's biography or intended meaning. This approach enables a more nuanced understanding of the text and encourages readers to explore multiple interpretations and meanings.True writing, he argues, takes place when the author is ready to loose the grip between their own identity and their ideas of how a piece of art should be,

“The negative, where all identity is lost, starting with the very identity of the body of writing."

This essay argues against traditional literary criticism's practice of incorporating the intentions and biographical context of an author in an interpretation of  a text and instead argues that writing and creator are unrelated. In "The Death of the Author," Barthes meditates on the relationship between the author, the reader, and the text, highlighting how the text serves as a mediator between the two. He challenges the traditional view that the author's intentions and biography should dictate the interpretation of a text, proposing instead that meaning is generated through the interaction between the reader and the text itself. Barthes' essay encourages readers to reconsider the authority of the author and recognize the text as a dynamic entity that evolves and takes on new meanings through various interpretations.Barthes' essential argument is that the author has no sovereignty over his own words that belong to the reader who interprets them.

When we encounter a literary text, says Barthes, we do not need to ask ourselves what the author intended in his words but what the words themselves actually say. He suggests that texts use symbols and language to communicate meaning, and it is the reader's engagement with these symbols that ultimately shapes the interpretation of the text. In this view, the author's intentions or personal background become secondary to the reader's experience of the text. Barthes argues that the text's function is to be read and interpreted, and therefore, the author's role in the process of writing becomes less significant compared to the reader's interaction with the text itself.Roland Barthes says in his essay The Death of the Author, The Birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author".  For the most part I agree with this statement.Indeed, Barthes would argue that true independent thinking by the reader is hindered if their interpretation is solely dictated by the author's opinions and biases. He emphasizes the importance of allowing readers to engage with the text autonomously, free from the constraints of authorial intention. This autonomy enables readers to critically analyze the text, form their own interpretations, and engage in independent thought processes, thus enriching their understanding and appreciation of literature.

For this reason there needs to be a distance between the author and the reader. Exactly, Barthes critiques the traditional emphasis on the author in literary and critical theory, attributing it to the influence of capitalist ideology and the valorization of individualism. He argues that the author as a singular, authoritative figure is a modern construct, and instead proposes a view of the text as a product of multiple influences and interpretations. Structuralism, as Barthes suggests, offers a new approach to literature and other disciplines by focusing on the underlying structures and systems that shape meaning, rather than solely on the author's intentions or biography. This shift allows for a more nuanced understanding of texts and opens up the possibility for readers to engage with the multiplicity of meanings inherent in literature.

For students of literature, structuralism has great significance. The medium of literature is language, and literature is a way by which the mind structures the world and explains it. Hence, the close relationship between literature as a field of study and structuralism as a method of analysis.The essay was written in 1968 and included in 'Image - Music - Text'. Indeed, Barthes' essay "The Death of the Author" was highly provocative and challenging to traditional literary studies when it was published. It marked a significant moment in the emergence of post-structuralist thought, which sought to deconstruct and destabilize conventional notions of authorial authority and textual meaning. By emphasizing the role of the reader in interpreting and revealing the various meanings of a text, Barthes challenged the idea of fixed or limited interpretations dictated by the author.Additionally, his discussion of the narrative voice and the identity of the narrator underscores the complexity of textual interpretation and highlights the dynamic relationship between text and reader. Overall, Barthes' essay remains influential in shaping contemporary literary theory and critical discourse.Barthes' Comments, "The voice looses its origin, the author enters into his own death in such situations.

Barthes critiques the traditional literary and critical theory for placing excessive importance on the author. He argues that this emphasis on the author's intentions, biography, and authority limits the potential meanings and interpretations of a text. Instead, Barthes proposes a shift towards focusing on the text itself and the reader's engagement with it, thereby allowing for a more open and diverse range of interpretations. This perspective challenges the notion of the author as the sole arbiter of meaning and encourages a more dynamic understanding of literary works.

Barthes also says that no doubt in the history of Criticism an importance has been given to the writer which shows the authority of the writer but this has destroyed and shattered many things and now the time has come when we should give weigh only to the reader .Classic criticism has never paid any attention to the reader.Barthes is asserting here that in traditional literary discourse, the author has been elevated to a position of singular importance, overshadowing other elements of literature. He argues against the societal norms that prioritize the author's authority and intentions over other aspects of the text. By advocating for the "death of the author," Barthes suggests that the reader's interpretation and engagement with the text should take precedence over the author's perceived authority. This perspective challenges the conventional hierarchy in literary studies and emphasizes the reader's role in shaping meaning and significance within a text.

The failure of the work was attributed to the failure of the man because the literary work was supposed to reflect his person, his life, his tastes and his passions. The text was considered to be the voice of the author. The presence of no other voice was felt in the text and the whole of the critical analysis was centred on the author. Barthes indeed challenged the traditional view of the author's authority and offered his own ideas on the relationship between the author and the text. He argued that the author's intentions and biography should not be seen as the ultimate determinants of meaning in a text. Instead, Barthes emphasized the importance of the reader's engagement with the text and the multiplicity of interpretations that can arise from it. By proposing the "death of the author," Barthes encouraged a reevaluation of how we approach and interpret literary works, asserting the autonomy of the text and the significance of the reader's role in constructing meaning.

Ronald Barthes surveys the attempt in French literary and critical circles to depersonalize art. Though, the sway (impact) of the author remains powerful, some writers have long attempted to counter it. Stephane Mallarme, A French symbolist poet ,did a lot in this direction .He was the first to realise the necessity of substituting language for the author.Barthes emphasizes that it is language itself, rather than the author as an individual, that communicates meaning in a text. He argues that language operates independently of any particular author and has its own inherent structures and systems of meaning. In this view, the author becomes merely a conduit through which language is articulated, rather than the sole originator of meaning. By shifting the focus from the author to the language itself, Barthes underscores the significance of language as a dynamic and multifaceted system that allows for diverse interpretations and readings of a text.Paul Valery also challenged the question of primacy of the author.

He emphasizes the written nature of linguistic and philosophical projects, suggesting that authors are conduits through which stories are told rather than the creators or formers of those stories. Barthes situates the figure of the author within the context of modern society, particularly highlighting the influence of capitalist ideology, which places great importance on individualism and the prestige of the author as a singular, authoritative figure. By contextualizing the author within broader historical and societal frameworks, Barthes challenges the notion of authorial authority and emphasizes the importance of considering texts independently of the author's personal identity or intentions.According to the text,

"The author still reigns in histories of literature, biographies of writers, interviews, magazines, as in the very consciousness of men of letters anxious to unite their person and their work through diaries and memoirs. The image of literature to be found in ordinary culture is tyrannically centred on the author, his person, his life, his tastes, his passions, while criticism still consists for the most part in saying that Baudelaire's work is the failure of Baudelaire the man, Van Gogh's his madness, Tchai-Kovsky's his vice”.

Surrealism indeed contributed to challenging the authority of the author and undermining the traditional notion of authorial control over meaning. Surrealist literature often employed techniques such as automatic writing and stream-of-consciousness narration, which prioritized the subconscious and intuitive expression over conscious authorial intention. This approach blurred the boundaries between the author's conscious control and the spontaneous creation of meaning, further eroding the notion of the author as the sole arbiter of interpretation.

Barthes' notion of the "death of the author" aligns with the Surrealist movement's emphasis on freeing literature from the constraints of rationality and authorial authority. By advocating for the independence of readers' thinking and their ability to interpret texts without being bound by the author's intentions, Barthes promotes a more dynamic and participatory approach to literary interpretation. This shift allows for a greater diversity of meanings and interpretations to emerge, enriching the reading experience and encouraging critical engagement with texts.

The essay is not always a necessary occurrence however, in some cases the presence of the author is needed for the reader to achieve a greater understanding of what is being read.Indeed, in "Slaughterhouse-Five," Kurt Vonnegut begins the book with a first-person narrative in which he discusses his own experiences and intentions as the author. This approach highlights the author's presence and perspective, but it serves the purpose of contextualizing the story rather than asserting authorial control over its interpretation.

Vonnegut's inclusion of himself as a character in the narrative can be seen as a literary device that enhances the reader's understanding of the story, rather than an assertion of authority over its meaning. By foregrounding his own role in the creation of the text, Vonnegut invites readers to consider the personal and historical context surrounding the events depicted in the novel. Ultimately, as you mentioned, the focus remains on the reader's understanding and interpretation, with the author's presence serving to enrich the reading experience rather than dictate its meaning.

The reader's prior experiences with the author's work may influence their expectations and perceptions before they even begin reading a new book by the same author. Whether the reader liked or disliked the author's previous work can shape their anticipation and predisposition towards the new book. However, once the reader engages with the text, their interpretation and appreciation of the book may evolve independently of their prior opinions about the author. This underscores the importance of approaching each book with an open mind and allowing for the possibility of new and unexpected experiences and interpretations.It is inevitable though that some readers will have a certain mindset about a book before they even buy it because of the Author’s name on the cover.The reader's prior experiences with the author's work may influence their expectations and perceptions before they even begin reading a new book by the same author. Whether the reader liked or disliked the author's previous work can shape their anticipation and predisposition towards the new book. However, once the reader engages with the text, their interpretation and appreciation of the book may evolve independently of their prior opinions about the author. This underscores the importance of approaching each book with an open mind and allowing for the possibility of new and unexpected experiences and interpretations.

It seems that when Barthes says "the birth of the reader must come at the cost of the death of the Author" he is thinking idealistically, not realistically. Barthes' argument certainly aligns with the idea that separating the author from the text can facilitate a more open and unbiased interpretation by the reader. When readers are not influenced by preconceptions about the author's identity, intentions, or personal background, they are free to engage with the text on its own terms. This allows for a more dynamic and diverse range of interpretations, as readers are not constrained by the author's perceived authority or predetermined meanings.

By advocating for the "death of the author," Barthes emphasizes the autonomy of the text and the active role of the reader in constructing meaning. This perspective encourages readers to approach texts with curiosity, critical thinking, and openness to multiple interpretations, ultimately enriching their understanding and appreciation of literature.

References

1. KoleschDori’s. Roland Barthes,New York. G.K. Hall, 2000.

2. Roland AChampagne. Literary History in the Wake of Roland Barthes: Re-Defining the myths of Reading.Summan Publication , Inc; 1984.

3. The Death of the Author: Roland Barthes and The Collapse of Meaning. www.filmslie.com.

4. Barthes, Roland. The Death of the Author.Art and Interpretation: An Anthology of Readings in Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art.ed. Eric Dayton. Peterborough, Ont:Broadview,1988.

5. Barthes, Roland. The Death of the Author. Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader. Ed. David Lodge.Longman:Newyork,1988.