When i was first read the assignment, i spent several minutes thinking of different literary works that i could potentially chose from. Having read many great novels, memoirs, and short stories, and i found it difficult to narrow my list down. After thinking about it for a while, I chose Ken Kesey's controversial, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. To be honest, this was one of the only books that we've been required to read for school that i've actually thoroughly enjoyed. It was one of those books that you pick up and can't seem to put down. I think i got a lot more out of the novel because we read it in a class setting, therefore, we could discuss the topics and explore some of the underlying meanings, character personas, and statements that i might have just skimmed over.
Per our discussion in class today about 'authorship,' we established that when we (the students) read a writers piece, we become an 'author' because we create opinions and generate questions that the original writer, or other students might not have considered. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, Ken Kesey is the obvious author, for his name is printed on the cover of the novel. However, we, too, are the authors. As are the critics, and the filmmakers and writers who altered the story for it to become a major motion film.
So who has the power to be an author? Are we giving 'authorship' too big of a definition?
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