Davin's Post, Authorship and American Political Texts

As last week’s readings (primarily sociological and philosophical) and this week’s readings (primarily historical) have shown, the notion of authorship carries several implications: Foucault’s “What is an Author?” offers an examination of the ways authorship has been used to legitimize texts and to control dissent; Eliot’s piece contemplates the idea of genius, or “individual talent,” relative to the substantial body of work in the long history of literature; Barthes’ “The Death of an Author” echoes Wimsatt and Beardsley in its treatment of the limitations an author imposes; and this week’s readings trace the legal definitions of the author via copyright law, with notable stops highlighting Samuel Johnson’s ghostwriting in the prelude to an execution, Wordsworth’s famous perspective on the cultural value/role of the author, and an interesting observation concerning the “battle [that] is shaping over the future of the Internet” that is even more interesting in the wake of recently proposed legislation SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act). <(That didn’t feel like one sentence while I was writing it.) However, because I’m interested in political texts and culture, I think it would be interesting to highlight what I’ve been thinking about concerning intellectual property and the construct of authorship, if only to give myself a baseline from which to begin the semester’s enlightenment.

Because it is an election year taking place in the context of increased political awareness, if not involvement (the Tea Party, Occupy, the aftermath of Citizens United—the bill that injected even more anonymous money into American politics), because this awareness/involvement has given increased volume to more political positions and proposals (including those on "opposite" ends of mainstream politics), and because American political change must always pass the Forefathers’ litmus test, the interpretation and appropriation of Jefferson, Washington, Paine, Adams, Franklin, Madison, etc. will play an increased role in American politics, society, and culture. Anyone watching the (insert choice adjective here) political theatre already knows this has been a major consideration among the more popular discussions of DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), the tax code, foreign intervention vs. isolationism, "the pursuit of happiness," freedom of/for/from religion…. Certainly, these discussions are affected by personal ideologies influenced by strong religious considerations and forged in a culture that has championed the individual, free enterprise, and the Judeo-Christian tradition most loudly; however, they also stem from an interesting definition and perception of author, definitions that sometimes seem to border on religious reverence, and definitions that have tremendous implications, even for those who don't know about these discussions, or don't care.

So...to try to pull this together, I wonder what type of larger ideological considerations form our definitions of authorship, and in looking at the way American Revolutionaries and early statesmen are used in argument today, how can discussions of political authorship inform our discussions of authorship in other areas, and vice versa?