I enjoy a good discussion on the death of the author as much as anyone, which is why I found a large chunk of this lecture quite interesting.

A few quick notes:

• I think an author’s viewpoint influences what they write. Fowles didn’t think he was a fascist, but I think his ideology came through pretty clearly in ‘The Collector’.
• Of course no one thinks they’re actually sexist or racist. You might not think using the word ‘gypsy’ is racist but the Roma people sure do.
• You have to hold people accountable for their actions at some point.