Death of The Author, And Not Supporting Disappointing Creators

There are few things that hit us as hard as finding out the person who created a piece of work that we enjoy, and which affected us deeply, is someone on the wrong side of history. As a pulp fan I experienced this early on when I looked into the lives of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard (which only confirmed the problematic aspects that were in the text of their works), but for a lot of other readers it can take years before their favorite creators finally let them down.

And for a lot of folks, JK Rowling is finally crossing that line as a disappointment.

That facial expression should look familiar to a lot of us.

For those who aren't in the know, Rowling has been purposefully obtuse when it comes to trans people, and trans rights. Those who've read her tweets have labeled her a trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) for some time now, and that has been the breaking point for a lot of fans. Especially when one considers that the series itself is often about standing up to authority figures who tell other people what to believe, and who hold up outdated notions of right and wrong, and who gets to be respected.

This week I'd like to talk about how if you're a fan of the Potter series, you don't have to leave it behind. However, you should still think about how you choose to enjoy stories to make sure you aren't propping up someone you don't want to support.

Death of The Author

Most of us have heard the term Death of The Author, but not all of us are really clear on what it means. So, if you're not familiar, the term goes back to a 1967 essay by French critic Roland Barthes. What Barthes argued is that the author's intentions, their politics, their personal beliefs and interpretations regarding their work are irrelevant when it comes time to criticize it. A critic can only read what is on the page, not what's on the page filtered through their knowledge of the author and that author's beliefs.

That seems strange, but it was common. Really common.

The effect of this is two fold. The first is that it allows us to take the story on its own merits, and to discuss it based on what is and isn't included. Any talk of whether certain characters are gay or straight, bigoted or not, relies entirely on what we see in the story. Author's intention and, "Well, in my mind they were always..." are excluded from the discussion, which removes a lot of frustrating clutter from discussions surrounding a story.

The second effect death of the author has is that it relinquishes their hold on the story in a spiritual sense. The story is not just the property of one person's, whose sole interpretation must be regarded as the one true way of reading a text. The story belong to those who love it, and who read it, and you can love the story without loving the person who penned it.

That Author Still Gets Paid, Though...

While it's true in an intellectual sense that an author does not have the sole claim to the meaning of a story, or the ability to claim a bunch of stuff not on the page should be taken into consideration, the author usually does still have a legal right to that story.

As well as to all the merch that comes with it.

Books are just one part of the formula, after all.

That's why, even though you don't have to bury your love of a story or your enjoyment of a fandom when an author reveals their problematic nature, you do have to consider what your purchases as a consumer are funding. When you buy a book, a tee shirt, a movie, etc., some of that is going to end up back in that author's pockets.

Again, as a pulp fan, I had the advantage that most of the authors I found problematic were already dead, so I wasn't supporting them with any purchases I made. Still, it's important to consider alternative sources for your books. Whether you check them out at the library, or buy them from resale shops, that flow of money stops before the author gets any. The same is true when you buy art or crafts from smaller, independent artists. If someone at a convention is knitting Ravenclaw scarves, your purchase isn't going into Rowling's bank account; in all likelihood, it's just going to the artist so they can pay rent, buy food, etc. Fan fiction archives are legion, and fan meetups are a great way for you to come together, and bond over this thing you really love.

Just remember to be careful with your money. Death of the author may apply to their spiritual hold on a story, but it won't apply to their income unless you make the conscious choice to to that.

Also, if you're looking for alternative stories to read and enjoy, my novel Crier's Knife is still out there. Also, I've heard some very lovely things regarding K.A. Applegate, the author of the Animorphs series!

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That's all for this week's Business of Writing! If you'd like to see more of my work, take a look at my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife as well as my recent collection The Rejects!

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