[Ironically influenced by the golden age of Jazz writers...]

It's not enough to consider the fragmentation of the arts as trends dictate. Survival has always had to address the struggle for means of mass conditioning... Whether dissecting the author's work is a valid path towards an optimized being neglects the very nature of the medium. Words and the language they frame are an implicit control system that if solely relied upon filters the original spark of creativity the author may have intended. Of course, like a digital shot, you can get the clearest cleanest view as the technology allows... but there will always be that spark of beauty, just beyond the void.

Perhaps it is best to see how the author is molding the minds of current authors like yourself. Dissect your work, the works of others (who have also read) and ask them to do the same. Then, take your finely crafted "digital shots" and bridge that void (how to sense affinity by UIUC standards?). If the particular theme or idea is taking root, it is worthy of further investigation.

Yes, there is value in the methodology of arts as a thousand paths may lead back to the same point contributing to the richness of the situation. Of course, the real value is in discovering one path, (uncomfortably) shaping compassion, then applying to the advancement of the other 999.

Rinse. Lather. Repeat. and the Funk don't stop.