Author: The Ideal of One

Michel Foucault, wrote "What is an Author" which carries the point of "author function" where we put authors persona on a pedestal. It is hard to grasp this point from Foucalt's work since his writing can be on a deep level that has you to read it over more than once. My understanding with "author function" is how society can put such an impression concerning the name of a literary work that we forget that the connection is the tone with the text. Compared to the authors name and the tone being written in the literary work. Foucalt showed the point that we classify great works with the name of the work to the point the stories are categorized with the authors name rather than title of the literary work.

Now another point of Foucalt's that I couldn't quite grasp is how if society would get rid of this hold on an authors name then it would make us all free. That we as a public would start to shed seeing the author as an ideal figure head as some sort of freedom that would later domino to other areas we do this in. Where we hold the power of a name with so much value that if it started in literary area that it can follow say in entertainment business. I don't see how that connection can be made, and what freedom that can give society. I do grasp though on how we recognize the power behind a name.

I mean Jane Austen of Pride and Prejudice is world renowned that to just think the title of the book people know who she is. The novel of hers would not be the same if the name would be someone else because they would think of the famous romance author Jane Austen. The treatment given to her name is due to her works, but there is so much weight brought out to her name. There is recognition that people would instantly think of her name after her novels were to be named. I even get male friends if I were to mention that novel to say "Isn't that from the chick flick author Jane Austen" to know immediately that she wrote this book. Everyone takes in the side of Jane Austen that wrote this novel of famous cliche romance compared to the 3D personality version of her in real life. Foucalt is right to say that we take in the side that is shown to us in authors through their novels, and make stars of them for it. We put such power to the name we forget that they can be just as human as us. How would society be if that were to change?