Full Circle

I have to say, I always believed the author was part of the work. Like Mark Twain, I think everything comes from something. Authors of each period in time write about what is happening around them. Beowulf (circa 1010) is a historic epic of a medieval hero. Marlow (1564-1593) wrote about the struggles of knowledge. Austen (1775-1817) wrote about class differences. Twain (1835-1910) wrote about racism. Ayn Rand (1905-1982) wrote about self-interest laissez-faire capitalism. Essentially, what they wrote about is what they lived. Part of what I believe to be the “author function” is sharing the vision the author has. Why else would the author publish the work? Surely not just for the money.