Jordan Gregory: What is an Author?

I believe that the importance of the author relies on the individual that is reading the text. Doing research on an author prior to reading his or her work can and will determine how you view the piece. If you are the type of individual like me, then you don't care to know any thing about the author. You're much more interested in what the story itself has to offer. Doing your background research does indeed prevent a lot of confusion when reading someone's work. You might be confused as to why an author is making references to war throughout their work but if you research and find out that the author had parents who served in the war then you might understand that portion of the work more. Gender also can play a vital role in how you view an author's work. If an author is a male speaking as a feminist, you might not view this as an authentic piece just because you would expect it more from a female author.