Death of the author
Death of the author is a theory proposed by French literary critic Roland Barthes. It states that the intentions of the author are meaningless to the interpretation of a text. According to this theory, any given text consists not of one authorial voice but of multiple genres, outside influences, subconscious drives, and preexisting texts that constantly shape and inform all communication. For this reason, Barthes argues, critics should use texts as a space for free "play" that cannot be defined by any univocal statement of right or wrong with regard to the author. Rather, interaction with the text generates its own pleasure in an act that, for Barthes, closely mirrors sexual intercourse. Breaking away from the rigid and moralistic confines of formalism, Barthes hints at the savory imperfections, gaps, and opportunities for creative revision and interplay that textual analysis entails.