The Blurred Lines: Author in Limbo

In the case of 1920’s director Tod Browning, the auteur theory of the director’s importance to the work is very much in play. He has a strong background in the dark underworld of circus life, which many cite as the main influence for his movies. His “biographical legend” has been embellished so much that it is hard to determine where his life experience ends and his creative work begins. This “blurring of filmography and biography” (239) is really interesting to me, because it represents the unclear boundaries between life and art. I have always found that ambiguity unsettling, and it is why I would not want to go into a career that strongly depends on one’s personal inner world. Actors dabble so much in the minds of their characters that they may practically feel possessed. Even if that is not the case, actors can have trouble when they try to stop acting and face “real life.” (See movies like Becoming Julia with Annette Benning.)

So what is the problem with blurred lines? Why must academics cite either the auteur theory or a work-centered approach to film analysis? Why must we in our class? I think that, like so many multidisciplinary fields in this postmodern world, we are recognizing the difficulty of boxed in answers and clear-cut divisions.

In the end, I feel that we will find no answer indicating the best relationship of an author to his/her work. In Browning’s case, his influence seems to be part of the magic of his work. Other times, books may be spoiled for readers upon learning the author’s true motives for the book’s creation. I say, let’s be laissez faire about this. If an author wants to stress their presence in their work, let them. If not, then not. Ultimately, readers will know what they want, and their influence as consumers will indicate to authors what their preference is. And what do readers want? I’ll say the same thing federal communications officials said when asked to define the obscenity they wished to ban from TV: “I’ll know it when I see it.” Sometimes readers want to hear about the author; sometimes they don’t. The author is not dead, nor completely alive. The author is in limbo.