ROLAND BARTHES

Roland Barthes was born on 12th November 1915 in Cherbourg, France and died on 26 th
March 1980. He was a French literary theorist, essayist, philosopher, critic and semiotician.
Being a 20th century philosopher Barthes studied structuralism, post-structuralism and
semiotics. He created various theories based around films, televisions, audiences and
narratives. Now we will look into barthes codes theory
CODES THEORY Roland Barthes describes a text as “a galaxy of signifiers, not a structure
of signified, it has no beginning; it is reversible; we gain access to it by several entrances,
none of which can be authoritatively declared to be the main one; the codes it mobilizes
extend as far as the eye can read, they are indeterminable…the systems of meaning can take
over this absolutely plural text, but their numbers is never closed, based as it is on the infinity
of languages…” (S/Z – 1974 translation) By this he means – the text is like a tangled ball of
threads. The thread neads to be unravelled. Once unravelled we encounter an absolute wide
range of potential meanings. We can start by looking at a narrative in one way from one
viewpoint and create one meaning for that text. You can also continue by unravelling the
narrative from a different angle and create an entirely different meaning.
BARTHE S’ VIEWS Barthes says that all narrative share structural features that are brought
together in different ways. According to barthes there is always more than one way to read a
text. Within any given text there is a plurality of meaning rather than one correct reading. To
uncover a texts plural meaning you have to read the text and then re read it. This is because
every time you read a text you read it in a slightly different way to the previous time. With
each re reading another meaning comes to the surface.
HOW TO ABSORB A TEXT
Barthes argues that we should take the existence of these codes as an invitation to read a text
in ways to bring out multiple meanings and connotations. He rejects the view that an
audience should read a text for its linear plot. He believes that an audience should have a
writerly rather than a readerly approach to texts. Okay what does he mean when he say
readerly text
READERLY TEXT Barthes states that most texts are readerly texts. These are texts that are
presented in the usual linear, traditional manner of style and content this is pre determined so
that the reader is simply receiving the information. These text attempt through the use of
representation to hide anything that would open up the text to multiple meaning.
WRITERLY TEXT Writerly text reveal those elements that readerly text attempt to hide.
The reader is now in a position of control and takes an active role in determining the meaning
of the text. The writerly text undermine the readers expectations.
ENIGMA CODE Barthes enigma code is a theory that suggests that any texts such as film,
poster makes the audience question something and intrigue the audience to draw them in. for
example a murder mystery will often not reveal the identity of the murderer until the end of
the story. This encourages the audience to ask the question who is the murderer. Barthes
theory of the five codes is a way of grouping signifiers according to the role they play in the
text. They are categorized as
Hermeneutic code (voice of truth) Proairetic code (voice of empirical) Semantic code (voice
of person) Symbolic code (voice of symbol) Cultural code (voice of knowledge)

Reading a text with the five codes in mind is like looking at an image through a series of
coloured lenses. The image remains the same but your impression of it changes. Texts in
which the semantic symbolic and cultural codes dominate are closer to barthes idea of the
writerly text. They give you a sense of what the narrative is like rather than tell you what
happens.

THE HERMENEUTIC CODE The way the story avoids telling the whole truth to drop
clues and add mystery to the story. PROAIRETIC CODE The proairetic code builds
tension referring to any other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen
and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happens next. The hermeneutic and
proairetic codes look as a pair to develop the storys tensions and keep the reader interested.
SEMANTIC CODE this code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional
meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word. It is by the use of extended meaning
that can be applied to words that authors can paint rich pictures with relatively limited text
and the way they do this is a common indication of their writing skills. SYMBOLIC CODE
this is very much similar to the semantic code but acts as a wider level organizing semantic
meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning. This is typically done in the use of
antithesis where meaning arises out of opposing and conflict ideas. CULTURAL CODE
Looks at the audience wider cultural knowledge, morality or ideology which gives more
meaning to the text.
SEMIOTICS
Barthes is one of the leading theorists of semiotics, study of sign. Barthes semiotic theory
focusses on how signs and photographs represent different cultures and ideologies in different
ways. Our actions and thoughts what we do automatically are often governed by a complex
set of cultural messages and conventions and dependent upon our ability to draw them
instinctively and instantly. For instance when we see the different colours of a traffic light we
automatically know how to react to them. We know this without even thinking about it. But
this is a sign which has been established by cultural conventions over a long period of time
and which we learn as children and requires a deal of unconscious cultural knowledge to
understand its meanings. Everyone is constantly unconsciously interpreting the meanings of
signs around them and signs don’t only need to be visual they can be aural sign of such a the
sound of police siren usually heard before the vehicle is seen.
There are three types of signs in the study of semiotics. Iconic signs icons are signs where
meaning is based on similarity of appearance. Indexical signs indexical signs have a cause
and effect relationship between the sign and the meaning of the sign. Symbolic signs these
signs have an arbitrary or conventional link. In each case the sign can be broken into two
parts the signifier and the signified. The signifier is the thing or code that we read. Each
signifier has a signified the idea or meaning being expressed by that signifier. Only together
they form a sign there is often no intrinsic or direct relationship between a signifier and a
signified.
Widely used terminology in Semiotics include, denotation and connotation
Denotation – denotation is the object that we see in an image.
Connotation means what the object means
Example: A Rose denotes a flower how ever its connotations could be passion love romance.
BARTHE S’ MYTH Roland barthes argued that some connotations are so widely held that
they reach the level of myth. Barthes myths have nothing to do with stories or legends and
should not necessarily be seen as falsehoods. A myth according to barthes is where a socially
agreed symbolic association becomes so widely accepted that is seen as iconic. It refers to the
collective unconscious meaning created as the result of a semiotic process. Barthes proposed
that a myth is a chain of semiotic events which when experienced or seen by members of
society creates a subconscious meaning. For example when member of society come across
the signs of mc donals kfc and pizza hut the literal meaning is that they are restaurents but the
myth would be consumerism capitalism obesity which society members will not register on a
conscious level.