Capitol University

School Year 2016- 2017

LITERARY CRITICISM
“The Death of the Author”
Reflection Paper

Estella M. Ibaoc
MAED- English I
Roland Barthes’ critical essay addresses that the author has the power over a written materials

and the reader’s option to ignore the work’s background but focus on the work as a whole. He

believed that in literature the author should be set aside because the reader cannot acquire anything

original. This is due to fact that readers might tend to be conscious on the author and work’s

background and his evaluation can be limited inside this scope. Moreover, Barthes’ final conclusion

states that the birth the reader must come at the death of the author. The reader gives birth to a text

by reading it and not limited to some original meaning. He emphasized that the reader is not a

passive vessel but an active agent in the drawing of meaning and history. In addition, in the essay, he

further states that the reader has the freedom to read the text in various ways and has the power to

construct conclusion and meaning according to his experience in the text. Nevertheless, he is not

saying that the author has no meaning at all but the meaning should be solely coming from him.

There should be mixture of the author’s masterpiece vis-à-vis the reader’s interpretation.

I realized that the essay of Barthes is full on sense. As a reader myself, I tend to be limited at

the author’s background, its era, its system and among others. I get to limit myself with these factors.

I have this tendency of thinking that my interpretation of the text is wrong. However, upon reading the

essay of Barthes, it opened my mind that there is no such thing as wrong interpretation coming from

the reader. The essay encourages me to draw my own conclusion from the text without limiting it

around the work’s background.

This essay is an encouragement for the readers to be critical thinker. As a reader, our

interpretation of the text depends of our experience which can relate to the entire meaning. Although

we should not ignore the author for that matter because he is the scripter but we should trust our own

idea of the text.

 Capitol University
School Year 2016- 2017
LITERARY CRITICISM
“What is an Author”
Reaction Paper

Estella M. Ibaoc
MAED- English I
Focault believes that when studying theories of genre or other similar concepts, it is useful to

look through the lenses of authorship. If we accept the notion that the author is the sole producer of

the meaning of the work then we can completely understand the entire work. He seems to suggest

that a work’s significance is not made from the subject matter but through the arrangement of

elements. He reminds us that to consider a piece of writing as a work, then we have to consider the

author. If there is no author, then piece of writing would not be worthy of analysis. Readers must be

aware of the context of the author because it is inadequate to study the work but disregard the author.

Moreover, he does not dismiss the importance of the author and presents the idea that they exceed

with the possibilities they present. Foucault establishes the idea that to understand a text,

the study of the relationship between itself and its author, or lack of, is necessary.

However, he contemplates the moment when the work’s importance is governed by its

content and not by who is speaking.

Having read the summary of this essay, I just realized that in studying and

analysing a piece of work then there are factors to be considered. In the essay of Roland

Barthes’ “The Death of an Author”, it is being discussed that the readers give birth to the

meaning of the text. While in Focault’s essay, the author should be given consideration.

Then, it is safe to say that in a work’s analysis, there should be sides to look into. It

would not be enough to just focus in one thing and disregard the other one. I believe

that, as a reader, I should be looking into different angles so as to come up with better

analysis and conclusion. As a reader, I should be able to examine the content of the

work and the context of the author.

To get hold of a good literary analysis, there are things to consider. One factor

would not be enough to supply the necessary needs to draw a meaningful conclusion

and analysis. Thus, in my own opinion both the author and the content are important for

analysing a piece of writing and be able to fully understand the entire work.
 Capitol University
School Year 2016- 2017

LITERARY CRITICISM
“From Work to Text”
Reaction Paper

Estella M. Ibaoc
MAED- English I

Roland Barthes’ essay From Work to Text is the explanation of the differences between the

two concepts, text and work. Barhes viewed the developing relationship between ‘text’ and ‘work’.

According to Lesley Lanir’s comment retrieved April 17, 2013, the concepts were based on seven

propositions: method, genre, signs, plurality, filiation, reading and pleasure. Barthes explains that

‘work’ can be handled because it something complete and comprehensive. Moreover, ‘work’ is

defined by a process of association or authorship. It is associated with its author and its background

for better understanding. In addition, ‘work’ is a commodity- an object for reader’s consumption and

the readers tend to be passive.

On the other hand, ‘text’ is the composition the reader takes from the work. Text is not a

definite object. Its meaning becomes interrupted since it encourages the reader to produce

overlapping ideas. If writing is a ‘text’, then it is not limited and confined to a genre. The readers are

free to interpret beyond the author’s signification. When interacting with a text, the readers critical

thinking is ignite because they tend to question and think about the writing. Lastly, if viewed as text, a

piece of work arouses feelings of pleasure because there is a connection between the reader and the

writer and the text that transcends any language and social barriers.

Based from the readings that I did, there are differences in identifying the concepts, ‘work’ and

‘text’. From what I have understood, work focuses on the author and its background while text is on

the reader. In my own opinion, both work and text are important just as the author and the readers

are essential as well. I think, you can’t just separate work from text. Both of the concepts have good

points being pointed out. This is also similar to “The Death of an Author” and “What is an Author”. I

believed both should be given equal importance in a piece of writing. ‘Work’ is the creative product of

the author but is remains its status if not viewed as ‘Text’ by the readers because the latter produced

meaningful interpretation.