Lauren Cribb "What Is an Author?"

In the article, “What Is an Author,” Michel Foucault explains his complex ideas on what it means to be an author. Without wanting to give a precise definition of an author, Foucault focus more on the how an author exists and relationship between an author and a text. Foucault explains that today’s writing is not meant to pin a subject within language, but is a question of creating a space into which the writing subject constantly disappears.  He argues that all authors are writers, but not all writers are authors. Foucault explains in his “author function” that an author exists only as a function of a written work. Furthermore, he explains what exactly it means to work in terms of authoring. A key analytical question that comes to mind when evaluating this article is; how exactly does an author exist?  After reading this article I came to the conclusion that there are several questions that must be answered in order to determine whether an author exists. These questions include, “Could what the  “author” wrote be classified as work?” and  “Does the author have a functioning name?” In order for an author to exist, there must be a creation of a piece of work similar to a sacrifice. The author must become “dead” for the work to become alive. In order for a writer to become an author, we must be able to study the piece through analyzing the work’s form and content. Foucault uses techniques in his writing such as metaphors and descriptions. He compares writing to a game that goes beyond its own rules and transgresses its limits. Using this metaphor helped to understand that the main point of writing is not to manifest or exalt the act of writing. Overall, Foucault did a good job in explaining the complex answer to the simple question of, ”What is an author?”