2022/06/20 by Katy Dillon
#Barthes #literature #reader response theory
paper · doi:10.5526/esj130
Barthes’ announcement of “The Death of the Author” was somewhat premature for the reader has new freedom and power. The advent of Web 2.0 has enabled an explosion of online fan-communities where the role of the reader in relation to the text becomes extremely important, and any interpretation is as valid as the next. For Barthes, and other ‘Reader Response’ theorists, the responsibilities of the reader are: 1. to reject the image of the Author-God, 2. to be open to multiplicity of meaning and 3. to be an active participant in the text and a creator of meaning, rather than a passive consumer. These implied responsibilities align very well with the practices and attitudes of the aforementioned fan communities, in particular with the readers and writers of fanfiction. Yet, there is often a tension between authors and fans because of the abovementioned approaches. Thus it is clear that authors are influenced, to a greater or lesser degree, by the prevailing idea of the Author-god, and the author is still some way from being ‘dead.’