The cult status of literary figures and their adulation are phenomena that have been with us since antiquity. In many ways, the 19th century continues in this tradition. But for bourgeois society the attitude to authors also takes on a specific, identity-forming significance in its own right. 19th century author adulation concentrates cultural and social forces. The study of attitudes to authors invites inquiry into the pragmatics and performativity of the aesthetic dimension, issues that have attracted substantially increased attention over the last few years.