The whole ‘death of the author’ thing is my preferred brand of copium for this.
Writing talent is not reserved for people who aren’t complete shitbags - it’s just that often, shitbags write to their shitbag interests and that comes over clearly in the work or with very basic analysis. Sometimes they don’t. It’s best to consider the work on its own merits without too much emphasis on authorial intent, as much as is possible.
Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow were the very first things that popped to mind when I heard this phrase. It’s the kind of thing that makes me say “Don’t avoid reading if you want to, but maybe avoid buying new printings and opt for second-hand/library copies instead”.
The whole ‘death of the author’ thing is my preferred brand of copium for this.
Writing talent is not reserved for people who aren’t complete shitbags - it’s just that often, shitbags write to their shitbag interests and that comes over clearly in the work or with very basic analysis. Sometimes they don’t. It’s best to consider the work on its own merits without too much emphasis on authorial intent, as much as is possible.
Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow were the very first things that popped to mind when I heard this phrase. It’s the kind of thing that makes me say “Don’t avoid reading if you want to, but maybe avoid buying new printings and opt for second-hand/library copies instead”.