One fan's appreciation (Gaming)

by Harmanimus , Monday, January 27, 2020, 13:04 (1557 days ago) @ Kermit

The death of the author perspective is valid, but is generally befitting to a coldness in consumption that makes it important to consider what killed the author to merit judging a work entirely without intent or context. A work probably should be allowed to transcend its author. It should probably be allowed to be judged on its own merits. However, a vacuum around a work can also make for a shallow appreciation.

Personally, the middle ground of “context matters, intent is meaningless” holds truer to me than a uniform death. You are right to judge the merits of a work out of context, and while I don’t hold any particular stick in this particular basket, I think you lose a great deal better potential understanding and appreciation when you do it without context. Some works are good in spite of their creator *cough*Harry Potter*cough* and hold great value that is made greater through the teachable moments brought from context. It allows a better critical eye and paints the truth to things that otherwise feel slight as the boils they are.