death of the author

noun

A technique of literary analysis that disregards authorial intent, focusing only on the text.

OriginFrench la mort de l'auteur →
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Meanings

noundeath of the author (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA technique of literary analysis that disregards authorial intent, focusing only on the text.

Origin

  1. Frenchla mort de l'auteur
  2. Englishdeath of the author

Calque of French la mort de l'auteur, the title of a 1967 essay by the French literary critic and theorist Roland Barthes (1915–1980).

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan mort de l'autor
  • mort de l'autorTranslations
Finnish teoskeskeinen kirjallisuudentutkimus
  • teoskeskeinen kirjallisuudentutkimusTranslations
German Tod des Autors
  • Tod des AutorsTranslations
Romanian moartea autorului
  • moartea autoruluiTranslations
Spanish muerte del autor
  • muerte del autorTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

death of the author. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20of%20the%20author

MLA

“death of the author.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20of%20the%20author. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “death of the author,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/death%20of%20the%20author.

Source: death of the author on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.