Sunday 15 February 2015

The writer isn't dead, they just turned into multiple people...


#INM380
Session 3 

I have to admit that I was rather overwhelmed by the amount of reading to be done before this lesson. However, I am glad of the chance to study philosophers in more detail that are important in some way to library and information science. Unfortunately I only have enough time to skim the essays. I'm just glad that I have already read some Barthes and Derrida, so Foucault wasn't as daunting as he might have been otherwise!

Death of THE author (Foucault)
What I found to be central to this essay was the notion that the traditional structures of author and audience were over and that different relationships need to be built. Ernesto pointed out in the lesson that there is an inherit contradiction at work here. Foucault, arguably one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century, is arguing that the tradition of the celebrated author is gone while himself enjoys stardom and acclaim primarily through his writings (authorship). The writer who is proclaiming the death of authorship does so through authorship.

Death of ONE SINGULAR author
So what if it's not simply death of an author, i.e. the time of authorship is death, but perhaps this is the death of a singular published voice. That collaborative authorship offers publishing a new dimension and also that authorship from a singular voice is more scattered across the informational landscape than ever before. As Matthew Kirschenbaum puts it in 'what is an @uthor?' "...Today you cannot write seriously about contemporary literature without taking into account myriad channels and venues for online exchange." but what is important to remember is that sifting through someone's output (whether a professional writer or not) becomes a choice of what to include and exclude, as there is too much ephemera to aggregate or even to remember. Documenting and archiving can be a creative process as you are establishing a perceptive of what is and isn't said and remembered about an author's output.

What also comes with the idea of the death of the singular narrator is the rise of the amateur and of the fan fiction writer/imitator/creator. There are numerous  example online, Ernesto showed up in class a particularly uplifting star wars tribute. I found a full length version of Star Wars Uncut online:



 I am interested in the idea of official and unofficial narratives and how these are dictated by power structures. Who gets to tell the official version of events and how is this documented? All of which is highly political.

Once back from a quick break, we were lucky enough to receive a presentation and led-discussion from Eliza Anyangwe who works for the Guardian's professional networks. She gave us a useful insight into the inter-workings of the guardian and addressed some difficult decisions that have been made and will be made with modern news/media publishing.

As we are moving beyond a system of per print customer purchase - i.e. one person buys one newspaper, once a day... toward online free content, we must consider how to fund journalism within this new climate. Do we include more advertising or ask readers for donations? do we pay just 'official' journalists or amateur writers who create valuable content? and how is this done in a news organisation that has a particular editorial style and quality? A lot of interesting and relevant thoughts were shared.

To help with studying...

As I am time poor, and the ever librarian, I have come across some helpful resources for unpacking some of the key notions of the philosophers which we are grappling with.

Summary of The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

"Critical theory for library and information science: exploring the social from across the discipline" (2010) which has chapters devoted to different philosophical ideas and philosophers who are relevant to library and information science. There is a very good chapter devoted to Foucault which I would recommend.

 I'm off to Spain for 5 days, see you all next Friday!