A Historical Review of the Author Figure from Birth to Death and Disappearance to Resurrection

Year 2023, , 82 - 98, 28.06.2023

Nesrin Koç

https://doi.org/10.35235/uicd.1249371

Abstract

With his absence- presence, the figure of the author has continued to occupy a significant space in literary discourse. Undoubtedly, Roland Barthes’ “The Death of the Author” is one of the most renowned debates. Barthes’ emphasis on the text itself, rather than the author who created it, has significantly transformed the methods by which texts are analysed and the author has been relegated to the periphery of the text with the widespread adoption of literary theories which have been critical of the author. Nevertheless, the author has persisted in the literary world as a writer, a scriptor, a character, a “function” as described by Foucault, or a “figure on the carpet” as Barthes puts it. Postmodernism and post-postmodernism have brought the author back to the forefront. In the context of postmodernism and its aftermath, it can be argued that there has been a shift in the perception of the author, as post-postmodern sincerity has replaced postmodern irony, and the reconstructivist method has supplanted deconstruction. This study examines the relationship between authorship and authority by delving into the definition of the author throughout history within the context of the birth, death and resurrection of the author.

Keywords

Author, The death of the author, Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Deconstruction, Reconstruction

Doğuşundan Ölümüne, Yok Oluşundan Dirilişine Yazar Figürünün Tarihsel Değişimi

Abstract

Yazar figürü varlığı ve yokluğu etrafında şekillenen tartışmalar ile tarih boyunca edebiyatta önemli bir yer tutmuştur. Şüphesiz, bu tartışmaların en bilindik örneklerinden biri de Roland Barthes’ın “Yazarın Ölümü” denemesidir. Barthes’ın metni yaratan yazardan ziyade metnin kendisine yaptığı vurgu, metin okuma biçimlerini de kökten bir değişikliğe uğratmış, yazara karşı eleştirel bir tutum takınmış olan edebi teorilerin yaygın olarak benimsenmesi ile yazar metnin gerisine itilmiştir. Yine de yazar edebiyat dünyasında yazan kişi, yazman, karakter, Foucault açısından bir “işlev” ya da Barthes’ın deyimiyle “halıdaki figür” de olsa varlığını sürdürmeye devam etmiştir. Postmodernizm ve post-postmodernizm ise “ölmüş” olan yazarı yeniden ön plana çıkarmıştır. Postmodernizm ve sonrasındaki dönem değerlendirildiğinde postmodern ironinin yerini post-postmodern içtenliğin, yapısökümün yerini ise yeniden yapılandırmacı yöntemin almasıyla yazar algısında bir değişim yaşandığı söylenebilir. Bu çalışma, yazarın doğuşu, ölümü ve yeniden dirilişi bağlamında tarih boyunca yazar tanımının geçirdiği değişimleri ele alarak yazarlık ve otorite arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektedir.

Keywords

Yazar, Yazarın Ölümü, Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Yapısöküm, Yeniden yapılandırma

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