The identity of an author
Some might be inclined to believe that the use of personae in a piece of writing is a modern practice. In The Rhetoric of Fiction (1961) by Wayne C. Booth critics found a rather elegant (re)discovery and study of the term “implied author”. In textual criticism, labelling concepts mostly leads to misunderstanding. The various synonyms people feel inclined to use (such as “persona”, “voice” or “mask”) each deserve isolated discussions and elaborations. All in all, what “feels” like a fit will just not do. Meticulousness, though essentially part of scientific inquiry, does indeed take some colour and flair out of creative writing.
As postmodernism clamours like the sun at dusk to remain in the sky for all to see, it seems probable that that age is coming to an end. One can use the prefix “post-” only so many times until someone asks "what are we preceding?" Some of the holiest and popular beliefs of the late 20th century are starting to fall into disuse (or perhaps becoming distrusted). Booth himself has criticised the occasional haphazard conclusions made from his work (Blackwell Companion to Narrative Theory 2005:75). And his iron sight was not aimed at obscure professors in the ivory tower, but rather at popular voices such as Foucault and Barthes.