By only briefly reading the article "What Is an Author", one might get stuck on the analytical question that Foucault asks at the opening and closing of his article; "what does it matter who is speaking?". When I read this article I was tempted to only focus on this question and not look deeper into "What Is an Author", but to truly find the answer to Foucault's question one must dig deep and analyze and think critically. He wasn't merely saying that it shouldn't matter who the author was of any type of work, he was saying that we have to be careful how much we let who the other is dictate what we believe or take from a work. I was able to come to this conclusion when he used the example of highly valued writers (such as Aristotle, Arthur Rimbaud, Shakespeare) losing their value when their "proper name is taken away". We as readers find value in an author's background. All throughout history this has been the case, but "What Is an Author" really opened my eyes to look at works differently and first decide what makes a work, a work. Also it made me realize the importance of the actual author, while keeping in mind who the "voice" or author of the work is supposed to be seen as, and lastly who the author intended to be writing for. Who the author is matters but shouldn't be earth shattering and mind changing just based off of a name in itself.
Reading both "Elements and Methods" and "What Is an Author" helped me to learn what an analytical question is and it also helped me to practice searching deeper into a work to find them. Through this class I will be able to continue to practice identifying analytical questions but also create them myself within my own works.
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