摘要
Among scholars and critics of literature,it is widely believed that the earliest period of writing,the ancient period,is characterized by collective literature and the anonymity it produces,and that little importance was attached to the author,who,if acknowledged at all,was considered inconsequential.However,starting from the 17th and 18th centuries,this began to change and authors were given the position of greatest prominence in the study of literature and its significance,while collective writing disappeared altogether,that is,until the advent of The Death of the Author and the Internet,which re-established collectivism and anonymity(the Wikipedia as a case in point).The question that we need to ask is:Does this approach conform with reality or is it merely a convenient generalization?
