The Death of the Author

[sen_no_ongaku]

One of the most widely cited features of postmodern theory is known as "The Death of the Author", that the creator of a text does not hold a privileged position in its interpretation. Which is to say that the person who writes a book has no more authority as regards what it means than a careful reader of that book.

I like to soften this a little with the claim that the author does offer a perspective others cannot: the author can indicate what h/h intended to mean.

So here's a proposal:

Your life is a text of which you are the author. As such, you and only you know what your actions and thoughts are intended to mean, but the opinions of the careful readers of your life -- perhaps friends, family, or maybe even workmates -- are as valid as yours in determining what your actions and thoughts actually mean.