When one critically examines a book, an article, or an extract, what role or significance does the Author have in that assessment? Do we place the author at the very core of our assessment, or do we focus more on the narrative? Or perhaps, we are more influenced by all the other peripheral factors that surround a published book such as editing, printing, and distribution.  This is a question that perturbed me right from the start of my research. I knew that there is no easy way to answer this or a standard textbook definition that I could resort to. During the course of my research, I gathered a lot of information which made me question concepts of authorship and the problems that surround authorial intent. I was inspired to think about what an author might mean to a book and what position does an author really enjoy after a book has been published?

While there are several arguments that have been made by critics about the issues surrounding authorship, most literary critics would echo with Barthes’ argument that “the image of literature” is “tyrannically centred on the author”,[1] making the author the focus of all the criticism that surrounds his/ her work. Inge further elaborates upon this argument by stating that while various attempts have been made in the recent past “to remove, banish, or even kill the author, the author remains at the center of general critical attention”.[2] These claims particularly hold true for Jeanette Winterson’s The Powerbook, as she is an author who receives a lot of “critical attention” for her work. Hence, it won’t be wrong to assume that Winterson’s position as an author seems to be pivotal to the review and reception of the book. Through this essay, I wish to explore the different perspectives that surround authorship and authorial intention, and how that relates to my research on The Powerbook by Jeanette Winterson.

Kate Kellaway, in her review of the book, notes that Winterson is trying “put herself on line- more than ever”[3] through this novel. While many might agree with Kellaway that the novel pans out more or less as a “rescue operation”, we can’t ignore the idea that perhaps Winterson was simply looking to establish her position as an author in these contemporary times and show that she isn’t someone to shy away from the internet world. It was interesting for me to note that Winterson has an incredibly active social media presence as well as her own website. She is a Writer wants to be visible and public in this age of the internet. Claire Squires notes that “the greatest transition in twentieth-century publishing has been its changing patterns of ownership.”[4] Perhaps, it is this very transition that has propelled writers like Winterson to be more active on digital platforms. Elaine Showalter in her review of The Powerbook reduces Winterson to a “mannered novelist with nothing to say”[5] provoking me to think about how much of what a writer says remains his/her voice after a book is published? I also tried to address the notion of how might Winterson’s popularity as well as her digital presence and visibility impact her as a writer. Would Winterson be able to express her intentions better if she is proactive on the internet? Or does the exposure make her more susceptible to criticism?

J.M Coetzee begins his Nobel lecture recounting his experience as a child reading Robinson Crusoe and how surprised he was to find out that Daniel Defoe was connected to the novel in some way.[6] He further elaborates through his Nobel lecture that an author and his/her narrative are almost “like two ships sailing in contrary directions, one west, the other east.”[7] Coetzee, through his beautiful allegory of sailing ships elucidates that after a book is out there in the market, the author’s intention with the narrative becomes subject to speculation by literary critics and readers alike. Greetham clarifies that the question of intent is a “primary one” for most “textual critics and some literary critics in the twentieth century”.[8]  Moreover, after a book has been written, how much of the narrative remains true to the author’s intention is open for debate. Barthes argues that “writing is the destruction of every voice, of every point of origin” and the only “identity” that remains is “the very identity of the body writing.”[9] Hence, it is the final narrative that shapes the identity of a book and not the author, and in a way, we interpret the author’s intention according to our sensibilities. So what exactly is a ‘true’ author? As Inge pointed out, writing a book has emerged as a collaborative process and the role of the author is not “absolute”, there are various other factors or mediators that emerge between the author and his/ her text.[10]

Another important aspect of my research that I was forced to look into is how popular Jeanette Winterson was as a writer. Her novels are published and distributed by the Random House Group, giving her global exposure as a writer. Her popularity distinguishes her not just as a writer but moreover as a “brand name”[11] in the literary marketplace. Gonzalez argues that contemporary fiction is often “characterized by obsession with over-exposure”.[12] Winterson reflects upon her position as an author of the novel right from the start of the book when she writes “I can change the story. I am the story.”[13] Sarah Brouilette discusses similar anxieties expressed by Salman Rushdie in Fury in Authorship as Crisis in Salman Rushdie’s Fury. In the essay she talks about “Rushdie’s increasingly solipsistic fascination with the status of his own authorship.”[14] While one may not call Winterson’s pre-occupations to be a ‘solipsistic fascination’ but it is hard to ignore her attempt to establish her authorship in the text. Furthermore, Winterson is trying to establish her power as a contemporary, radical, and lesbian writer.

The Powerbook explores “marvellous virtual creations, including the unreliable narrator, a veritable technological transvestite who refuses to distinguish the reality from the fantasies circulating in cyberspace and fabricates new identities at will.”[15] This obsession with technology also stems from the fact that Winterson is a contemporary literary figure who is published not just in print but also in digital formats. Being a global entity, she feels the pressure to reinforce her identity as the author of her writing. It is interesting to note that many contemporary writers and thinkers are often anxious about the death of creativity and innovativeness in this digital age, while others, like Winterson, view it as an expansion of their creativity.

With the changing dynamics of the ‘narrativity’ in the contemporary world, authors such as Winterson feel a pressing need to embrace new media and the digital spheres. Collins further points out that “the pleasures of losing oneself in a fictional universe have been expanded by another kind of immersive experience- moving across fictional universes that, taken in aggregate, make up an ever-expanding metaverse”.[16] Technology, undoubtedly gives us the scope to view narratives in a whole new light. We don’t need to follow a specific flow and can diversify or add to the narrative with the help of the latest devices and new media. Rushdie also discusses how new media and technology has enabled the art of telling stories in a completely different way. However, he was more concerned with how “new ways can erode our attachment to the story”[17] unlike Winterson who seems very comfortable with telling the story of her “DNA shapes” through her “invented world”. While Rushdie expresses how technology may have a negative effect on story-telling, Winterson seems to be adapting to how “the status of serious narrative has shifted, and how digital devices have become the delivery system of choice for quality narrative.”[18] Hence, Winterson is more concerned with this shifting narrative space as a writer rather than with critics like Showalter who are patronising her about her over- reliance on technology.

This research helped me understand the various dynamics that surround contemporary authorship. Since Winterson is a well-established and prolific writer, it was not at all difficult to find resources on her. However, it was much harder to establish authenticity of the resources that I found. At every step, I had to re-examine the resources through different databases. It was also important for me to maintain an objective approach while carrying out my research instead of getting carried away by the content of all the resources that I found. Through the research, it was fairly obvious that Winterson is a renowned name in contemporary writing and she delves in the subjects of lesbianism and sexuality mostly. While many uphold her position as an influential literary figure who has contributed extensively to the genre of lesbian literature, there are others who have reduced Winterson to merely a popular writer. This research motivated me to think more deeply about what being an author might mean in this day and age. I have to agree with Barthes till an extent that once “writing begins”, the author almost ceases to exist.[19] A written piece of work goes far beyond the author- one cannot ignore the aspects of editing, publishing, distribution as well as readership. However, in my opinion, one can never really ignore the author either. While one can never really pinpoint an author’s “final intention”,[20] the role of the author always remains of critical importance. It is the author who ultimately shapes our perspective of a given text and the power and position that the author enjoys or rather their “celebrity”[21] status plays an important role in the way that they are perceived and received in the literary world.