1. Why is the answer to the question what is an Author NOT so simple and self-evident as saying that authors are the people that we study in school? (10 [para. 2, 3])
The main problem that arises when one says that authors are people that we study in school is that many authors are simply not studied in school. In fact, one could study one’s whole college career, and still not even make a dent in the number of authors who have authored cultural materials, and moreover, many authors are not English-speaking. According to Nealon & Giroux, “There are thousands of authors in myriad traditions that never show up on a typical course syllabus” (10 [para. 3]).
2. What's the difference between a "writer" (e.g., Stephen King) and an "author" (e.g., James Joyce)? What's the difference between "author" as a verb and Author as a noun? In other words, what's the difference between someone who "authors" (i.e., creates, produces) something and someone who is taken to be an Author? (11 [para. 2, 3])
An author has garners more authority and reverence than a writer. To “author” as a verb implies something that anyone can do, such as authoring a cookbook, a legal document, etc., whereas an Author refers to someone who has garnered authority and reverence for their genius and imagination. According to Nealon & Giroux, “.this question of how someone who authors becomes an author (or how ‘author’ changes from a verb to a noun) is intimately tied to the question of canonicity, which involves the list of accepted ‘great’ works that are deemed worthy of continued scholarly attention” (11 [para. 3]). Thus, authors are esteemed more highly (in the noun sense) than in the verb sense – especially by critics.
3. What is "canonicity" and how does it explain what is an author? (11 [para. 3])
Canonicity means to hold a special position of authority, and the ability to garner a high level of reverence for one’s ingenuity and creativity. In general, authors hold this special honor, as “Canonicity.also establishes a particular relationship to authority, one based on honor and reverence as opposed to critical questioning and challenge” (11 [para. 3]).
4. What are some of the negative effects of canonization? (11 [para. 3], 12 [para.1])
Some of the negative effects of canonization include the pigeonholing of certain authors into discrete categories, the blind acceptance of an author’s contributions without critical thinking, as well as the lack of overall agreement on who is worthy of canonization, as well as the lack of overall agreement on what really constitutes authorship. As Nealon & Giroux state, “.substantial problems and ambiguities remain within even the most seemingly self-evident categories of the canonical English and American authors” (12, para. 2]).
Work Cited
Nealon, Jeffrey, & Giroux, Susan Searls. Critical Concepts for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: Second Edition. New York City: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2012. Print.
