The last three decades have seen a flourishing of theoretical discussions about the concept of literary authorship. This article is an attempt to scrutinise and engage with this thriving scene. Through a systematic review of conceptions of authorship in modern literary theories, I will outline historical shifts, disentangle current debates, and identify a range of approaches, with the aim of informing future studies of this concept. This article is divided into three parts. The first part offers a brief history of ideas of authorship in modern literary theories (ca. 1900 to the present). I trouble the narrative of the ‘death and resurrection of the author’ by showing that the concept of authorship has remained a constant concern, and by highlighting continuities between different theories. The second part identifies three main issues about the concept – agency/creativity, intention/authority, and self-presentation/self-construction. I illustrate how each of them has been addressed in recent discussions, focusing mainly on the last three decades, and point to potential directions for future research within each strand of debate. Finally, I provide a non-exhaustive typology of methodological approaches to the study of authorship. I will conclude with a brief consideration of the value of this concept for literary criticism.
Confronting fictional worlds theory with three novels by Vladimir Nabokov (The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Pale Fire, and Look at the Harlequins!), the author argues that the theory is problematized by Nabokov’s employment of global logical impossibilities. All three novels elicit fluid, fragmentary imaginations of “fictional worlds”; however, by requiring readers to juggle between several logically incompatible interpretations of characters and plots without reaching any synthesis, Nabokov refuses to let these imaginations of “worlds” solidify into fictional worlds in the theoretical sense. This obstruction of world-creation challenges the analytical power of fictional worlds theory and questions some of its basic assumptions. A further examination of three solutions that the theory proposes for logical impossibility shows that they fail to account for cases like Nabokov’s without undermining the soundness or status of the theory itself. This problematization ultimately points to an alternative perception of fiction as a means of real-world communication.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.