Figuring the woman author in contemporary fiction

If the author is "dead," if feminism is "post-," why does the figure of the woman author keep appearing as a central character in contemporary fiction? Drawing on a diverse range of contemporary authors--including Atwood, Byatt, Brookner, Coetzee, Lurie, Le Guin, Michele Roberts, Shields, Spark, Weldon, Walker--this study explores the complexity and continuing fascination of this figure.