The essay investigates whether knowing an author's identity affects how readers receive texts, distinguishing words' two functions—to convey information or create atmosphere—and placing genres along a spectrum from pure information (public notices) to pure atmosphere (lyric poetry). Forster analyzes how attribution matters for informational writing because signatures ensure accountability, while anonymity can enhance atmospheric or literary value; he considers novels, drama, journalism, and notices as examples, and reflects on how knowledge of authorship alters interpretation, trust, and critical judgment without prescribing a single rule.