>>8040395
Only up to a point. New Criticism is cancer when it's based on overly literal interpretations of things like Death of the author.

>>8040395
I think the idea is legitimate but others take it to autistic extremes when really the point of it is to negate autism.
The expressed and analyzed intentions of authors may not be the most legitimate interpretations of works but they can be extremely valuable in forming your own interpretations some people seem to take the Death of the Author as a signal to just discount this.

>>8040395
The idea that it's even considered an "idea" is disgusting. Literature departments need to be firebombed out of existence.

>>8040395
I think is a valid point, in fact I've always felt like researching a non-scientific work before reading it is stupid. People seem to be too worried about "properly understanding" what they're reading rather than make their own opinion about it.

Sure, depending on the work and your interest on it you might want to do research afterwards to know if you missed something or how other people view the work, but where's the fucking fun of knowing if a book is based on a real story or not before reading it?

>>8040395
As a lot of other anons are pointing out, in essence, it really isn't a bad idea at all; it's just blown out of proportion by pseuds.

>>8040395
I think it is an interesting idea. To divorce the art from the artist. To let the work stand alone and not be tainted by the imperfect creator. Honestly I look at all works thru both lenses. I hate that hypocrite Karl Marx, and his ideas hold no water, bad example. What about the science discovered by nazis... Good science, bad methodology...

>>8040416
Yeah when it's taken too far it can seem almost disingenuous, as if we are to pretend to see a work entirely divorced from what we know about its author and background when of course that's impossible - all interpretations will be built on our knowledge of this context in some way. But that's not really what Barthes seems to be on about anyway.

>>8040709
>I hate that hypocrite Karl Marx, and his ideas hold no water, bad example
lol