MetaChat - Q: what is a short allegory to explain Barthes' The Death of an Author?

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14 February 2008

Q: what is a short allegory to explain Barthes' The Death of an Author? I need a short narrative, analogy, allegory, illustration, what have you, to explain the difference between authorial readers and actual readers- any thoughts? I can't seem to come up with anything myself.

post by: marie at: 02:58 | 3 comments

Readers get served fancy waffles. Authorial readers decorate their own waffles at the waffle bar.

posted by omiewise 14 February | 08:43

(It's been a while since I've read Barthes, so if I've got this backward, flip it!)

Authorial readers are the people you talk to in your head when you're thinking through a problem you're having. They're the inside-your-head friends who listen patiently, always take your side, ask intriguing and perfectly logical questions, and really make you feel understood.

Actual readers are your flesh-and-blood friends who, while they usually have pretty good intentions, tend to cut you off, interrupt with their own stories and unwanted advice, assume that you're just like their Aunt Hilda so you should do what she did, and make you feel like you need to keep explaining and explaining.

(Actually, in writing that, maybe it's: Authorial readers are your therapist; actual readers are your friends!)

posted by occhiblu 14 February | 10:17

You're both heros, thank you.

posted by marie 15 February | 03:56

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