Fake It: Fictions of Forgery

Fake It explores the layers of artifice in artworks and how forgery unsettles our notions of originality and creativity. It demonstrates how forgeries foster fresh authorial identities while being intertextual and frequently original. It also reveals that authorship is always forged, collaborative, and imitative.

Format: Hardback
Length: 370 pages
Publication date: 10 September 2021
Publisher: University of Virginia Press

Fake It delves into a captivating exploration of a diverse range of fictional forgeries and hoaxes, juxtaposed with their real-life inspirations and striking parallels. Mark Osteen, in his insightful work, unveils the intricate dynamics of forgery, emphasizing that the quality and credibility of a forgery hinge on the compelling narrative that surrounds it. Osteen demonstrates how forgeries not only create new artistic identities but also exhibit a deep intertextuality and often exhibit remarkable originality.

Spanning from the fakes of the late eighteenth century, such as the infamous Rowley poems and the fabricated Shakespearean documents created by William-Henry Ireland, to the contemporary hoaxes, including Clifford Irvings fabricated autobiography of Howard Hughes, the notorious Ern Malley forgeries, and the audacious authorial masquerades of Percival Everett, Osteen uncovers provocative truths about the intricate conflicts between aesthetic and economic value. Through his meticulous analysis, Osteen sheds light on the creative process, revealing it to be a collaborative and imitative endeavor rather than an individual and inspired one. This revelation underscores that authorship, in some sense, is always forged, adding a new dimension to our understanding of artistic creation.

Fake It is a thought-provoking and enlightening journey that challenges our perceptions of originality, authenticity, and the boundaries of artistic expression. By examining the complexities of forgery, Osteen provides a fresh perspective on the artistic world, illuminating the intricate interplay between creativity, commerce, and the elusive nature of authorship. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in art, literature, and the fascinating complexities of human creativity.

Weight: 333g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813946269