Every theory has its pet names. What does Structuralism think of literature, authors, and readers?
What is literature?
Literature is a collection of narratives that seem to be dissimilar on the surface but are actually governed by underlying rules and structures which they all share, despite their superficial differences. Just use the contrasts to dig up the structure underneath.
What is an author?
An author doesn't really matter as an individual—it's just some faceless being who produces narratives that reflect the deep structure of literature. We're not really interested in the author at all. The author isn't dead yet, but they're on the way out.
What is a reader?
A reader is someone who works on uncovering and analyzing the deep structures that govern literary works. Readers are way more important than authors because they're the ones who can arrive at an understanding of the deep structures of texts.