About this book:

Discover how a single 1946 essay ignited a seventy‑year intellectual firestorm that still shapes the way we read, judge, and create literature. *The Intentional Fallacy and Its Critics* traces the birth of Wimsatt and Beardsley’s radical claim—that an author’s intention is irrelevant to a work’s meaning—and follows its reverberations through New Criticism, continental hermeneutics, legal theory, feminist and psychoanalytic critique, and today’s debates over AI‑generated texts and algorithmic reading.

Through clear, engaging prose, this book reveals why the clash over authorial intent matters far beyond the classroom: it touches on questions of artistic autonomy, cultural power, and the very nature of meaning in a digital age. Whether you’re a literature student, a philosophy enthusiast, or a curious reader wondering why we argue about “what the author really meant,” you’ll find a compelling roadmap through the major thinkers—from Barthes and Foucault to Hirsch and contemporary cognitive poets—who have kept the conversation alive.

Step into the heart of one of the most enduring debates in modern thought and see how a mid‑century argument continues to dictate how we interpret everything from Shakespeare’s sonnets to the latest AI‑written poem. *The Intentional Fallacy and Its Critics* is your essential guide to understanding why the struggle over intent is, and always will be, central to how we make sense of the written word.