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Roland Barthes and his semiotic theory

Abstract
Roland Barthes (1915 1980) is one of the most recognised names in the field of Semiotics.
His Semiotic Theory has been the inspiration behind many aspiring students and teachers alike.
His rise to fame coincided with the release of his 1957 book Mythologies, which was a
collection of essays he had authored. The public was so fascinated by his ideas that his opinion
was often sort in the public arena.
Signs range from speech, body language and symbols to paintings, music and Morse code.
Barthes' Semiotic Theory broke down the process of reading signs and focused on their
interpretation by different cultures or societies. According to Barthes, signs had both a signifier,
being the physical form of the sign as we perceive it through our senses and the signified, or
meaning that is interpreted.
Barthes also believed that every ideological sign is either a Denotative sign system or a
Connotative sign system. A Denotative sign, which is a strictly descriptive system, is the result
of the signifier image and the signified concept combining. A Connotative sign is one that has
lost its historical meaning. This could be due to a number of things including: changes in culture
or terminology, an event, or even just evolution.
Semiotic Theory is an Interpretive' theory that can be applied to most aspects of everyday life
although most people would not realise it.

Introduction
Purpose: The purpose of this report is to gain insight into the world of Roland Barthes in terms
of a brief timeline of his life. Also of particular focus will be to gain a basic outline and
understanding of his Semiotic Theory. This will include the key issues involved in the theory,
along with its application in everyday life and an evaluation of the theory. A few of my own
views on this theory will also be included.
Scope: This report will focus on the basic concepts of Barthes' Semiotic Theory. It will only
look into the most basic concepts as going into great detail would involve a much more

involved and lengthy research process given its complexity. An attempt to gain an
understanding of the theory will be sort in order to assess it relevance in today's society.
Limitations: In the process of researching this topic it quickly became apparent that it would
be difficult to gain a clear and concise understanding of it. The availability of easy to read'
information sources seemed few and far between, with the majority of available material
worded in a nature that was at times impossible to decipher. It was also found that many of
Barthes' work is not freely available, access to it was more than once accompanied with a
monetary contribution of some sort.
Research Methods: A number of different research methods were used in the acquirement of
information for this report, all with varying success. The primary source was the internet
because of its easily accessible pool of information. Using this method it was possible to gain
immediate information on most topics, although it did occasionally have its limitations. The
use of books was also another primary information source. Finding books that were easy to
read was difficult but a number of them were of great aid. Periodicals were also used to acquire
information although the available articles were of little use due to the nature of the language
and terminology used.
Structure of the Report: This report will first outline the life and times of Roland Barthes
including his upbringing and education. It will then go on to outline his Semiotic Theory and
describe some of its most basic concepts. This will flow on into how the theory can be applied
to everyday life as well as an evaluation.

Literature Review
Summary: Although this book uses fairly basic language to describe the concepts it is trying
to portray, it does not water down' the text so much as to make you feel stupid. Given that
semiotics can be quite a difficult subject to explain, this book does a decent job of explaining
a number of different concepts with graphical examples. The graphical examples it supplies
helps to give a greater understanding of the idea/s that is being put across, and gives readers
the opportunity to first interpret what they are viewing from their own perspective, before
reading the explanation describing the theory behind the graphic, or sign. This interaction gets
the reader involved in a lot of creative thinking which is a great way to re-enforce the points

and concepts being laid out by the text. Given its graphical nature, this book will also be
extremely useful for presentation purposes.
Accuracy and Validity: The author of this book, Sean Hall, is the Leader in Contextual Studies
at Goldsmiths, University of London. Although not a big name' in semiotics, his previous
studies, academic status, and proven track record in research goes a long way to proving the
accuracy and validity of his work. The extensive bibliography provided in this book shows that
he has sourced many areas for his research and consulted many different individuals. Semiotics
is a subject that has no body of knowledge to fall back on. For this reason it is difficult to
determine whether or not any information is accurate as everything about semiotics is
subjective and open to scrutiny.
Summary: I found this book to be rather difficult to follow due to the nature of the layout. It
is set out in almost a comic style, or storyboard type approach, which can be a little difficult to
follow at times. This is also not helped by the absence of a contents page, forcing the
investigation of particular ideas' to be located through the index at the back of the book, or
else recalling exactly where in the book that it was originally read. It is difficult to determine
exactly what information will be useful from this book. Some information, such as that about
particular theorists, will be somewhat helpful; however, many of the other concepts covered
may not be of any use due to the difficulty of finding it again and the comic book type nature.
One topic, which is covered at the beginning of the book, is a pre-history of semiotics. This
information is extremely helpful as information of this nature has been difficult to locate. As
previously stated, this book opens up with a brief history and a little about the very first
researchers in the area of semiotics. It then goes on to outline how some of the earlier historical
figures contributed to the early understanding and significance of signs. This is followed by an
attempt to give an understanding of the concepts involved with semiotics and also includes
reference to some of the more recent researchers of this field, including Roland Barthes.

Accuracy and Validity: Dr Paul Cobley, the man responsible for the text in this book, is a
Senior Lecturer in Communication at London Guildhall University. He has authored as number
of books in the area of Semiotics as well as Communication Theory, and his record in these
areas is exceptional. I have found that a lot of his work has been used as reference by many of
the other information sources I have used. This shows that his work is highly regarded by many
in the field, and that the accuracy and validity of his work is widely recognised.

Summary: This article was extremely difficult to decipher and not very helpful. For this reason
I find it particularly challenging to review it as it made little to no sense to me. This article was
chosen more out of necessity than anything else as finding useful database articles proofed to
be difficult.

Accuracy and Validity: Susan Petrilli teaches Semiotics and Philosophy of Language at the
Department of Linguistic Practices and Text Analysis at Bari University, Italy. Her list of
studies and publications is extensive, as is her work in the translation of research done by
Charles Morris and Thomas A. Sebeok from English to Italian. There is little doubt that
information sourced from Susan Petrilli is viable, it is just a shame that in this case it was of
little use as it was not valid.
Summary: This article authored by Susan Petrilli and featured in The American Journal of
Semiotics, outlines the work done by Ferruccio Rossi-Landi and Thomas Sebeok, which in turn
was based on the work of Charles Morris. Charles Morris (1901 1979), is quite a controversial
character in the world of Semiotics. Some credit him with the recognition of Semiotics as a
science field, and others accuse him of copying the work of another theorist, Charles Peirce.
Either way, the work he did or didn't do was influential in the works of other theorists. It gave
new direction and recognition to semiotics and helped pave the way for future study and
research. Both Ferruccio Rossi-Landi and Thomas Sebeok have helped to advance the science
of semiotics but it is important to highlight that the work they have done was in most cases an
extension of Morris's research. This article highlights that fact and expands on it in much
greater detail. Whether or not this article will directly influence my studies is debatable, it does
however, give a greater understanding about the evolution of semiotics and how it came to be
recognised.

Accuracy and Validity: Susan Petrilli teaches Semiotics and Philosophy of Language at the
Department of Linguistic Practices and Text Analysis at Bari University, Italy. Her list of
studies and publications is extensive, as is her work in the translation of research done by
Charles Morris and Thomas A. Sebeok from English to Italian.
Summary: Having access to an actual essay by Roland Barthes proved to be a great help in
the research process. This essay picked apart a wrestling event by applying his theories to it. It

was an excellent way to explain certain aspects of the theory. This ranged from the physical
appearance of the competitors and their general mannerisms, to the cultural or public
interpretation of what was unfolding before them. It explained the theatrical side of wrestling
and how it is catered to the needs of its audience. Everybody at the event knows what is going
on because of the different signs expresses by the actors'.

Accuracy and Validity: Given that this report is based on Roland Barthes' theory, the accuracy
and validity of the information needs little clarification. Everything in this report is based on
his ideas and concepts so the accuracy needs not be questioned.
Summary: This article on Roland Barthes was a great starting point in the research process.
Without being too technical it gave a nice brief outline about Roland Barthes including a little
about his works and theory.

Accuracy and Validity: Not always an accurate source of information, I was initially reluctant
to take any information from Wikipedia at face value. However, this did slowly change as my
research went on and verification of the content was discovered. The great thing about
Wikipedia is that it has its own references meaning that it paves the way for more in depth
research.

Findings
Roland Barthes Roland Barthes is considered to be one of the biggest names in Semiotics and
much of his work has been the primary inspiration and information source for many aspiring
students, as well as teachers, in the field of Semiotics. Born in Cherbough, France, on the 12th
of November 1915, Roland Barthes had what he called Not an unhappy youth. Less than a
year after his birth his father was killed in a naval accident forcing his mother to move with
him to Bayonne. Here he spent the early part of his childhood before moving again in 1924,
this time to Paris. It was in Paris that he attended school at Lyce Louis-le-Grand and Lyce
Montaigne, both being well renowned secondary schools in France. In 1934 he contracted
Tuberculosis and spent a number of years in Sanatoriums. Although this often meant he was
unable to undertake his doctorate studies, it did give him the time to pursue other interests, the

most dominant being reading, What else did you have to do except read? He also started to
do a little writing and cofounded the magazine Thtre populaire. There was one positive to
come out of his ill health it kept him out of military service during World War II. Barthes
went on to study at the Historic University of Paris, or Sorbonne, where he received a degree
in Classical literature, as well as in grammar and philology. This was followed by various
teaching positions including appointments in France, Romania and Egypt. He had made an
intentional avoidance of major degree awarding universities throughout his career which lead
to these unusual' posts. In 1957, Barthes had a book called Mythologies released. In this
publication Barthes used the concepts of semiotics to analyse myths and signs in contemporary
culture. The release of this book coincided with the rapid rise of fame for Barthes. The ideas
and concepts within the book seemed to strike a chord with scholars and the general public.
This popularity lead to material from the book being referred to in newspapers, films, shows,
and exhibitions. Auto manufacturer Renault found his work so compelling that they
temporarily hired him as an advertising consultant. During the early 1960's, Barthes spent much
of his time exploring the fields of semiology and structuralism. This was accompanied by
various faculty positions around France and a continuation in the production of his more full
length studies. During his career, Roland Barthes published more essays than substantial
studies. He often presented his views in a concise, subjective way that differed from the
theoretical approach used by the majority of scholars. It was this approach that not only made
him a standout in various fields but also a somewhat controversial character. Many other
academics and theorists had a love hate relationship with him. Roland Barthes died on the 25th
of March 1980 from injuries succumbed from being hit by a van a month earlier.

Outline of Roland Barthes' Semiotic Theory


Among other fields studied by Roland Barthes, his Semiotic Theory is one of the most famous
and well renowned. Although he changed his mind about the way signs work more than once
over his career, most practitioners follow the concepts of his original theory. Semiotics, or
Semiology as it is often referred to, is concerned with anything that can stand for something
else. It is the study of sign processes, meaning what signs signify and how, what signs are
communicating, as well as how meaning is constructed and understood. In short it is the study
of everything to do with signs. Although arguably not a recognised field until the work of
Charles Morris, Semiotics can be applied to almost every aspect of life because it is an

interpretation of everything around us. Signs are not only the visual aspect that we all
immediately think of but also extends to include areas such as gestures or body language,
music, clothes, poetry, paintings, Morse code, food, and graffiti. These are all considered to be
signs that fall into the category of Semiotics because they can all mean something other than
the obvious. For example, an apple can mean healthy and a crown can mean king. These
meaning are however, very dependent on the context in which they are referred too. Spots on
your chest need to be deciphered in a medical context and road signs will be judged in a
transport context.
According to Barthes' theory, every ideological sign is either a Denotative sign system or a
Connotative sign system. A Denotative sign, which is a strictly descriptive system, is the result
of the signifier image and the signified concept combining. In other words the apple is the
signifier and healthy is the signified. A Connotative sign is one that has lost its historical
meaning. This could be due to a number of things including: changes in culture or terminology,
an event, or even just evolution. It is important to note that Barthes description of a sign as the
correlation between the signifier and the signified came directly from the Swiss linguist
Ferdinand de Saussure. The best way to describe the difference between the signifier and
signified may be to refer to Barthes' essay The World of Wrestling' which was published in
his 1957 book Mythologies. In this essay he describes the image portrayed by the wrestlers and
the resulting portrayal by the fans resulting from the wrestlers' image. As Barthes (1957) states:
As soon as the adversaries are in the ring, the public is overwhelmed with the obviousness of
the roles. As in the theatre, each physical type expresses to excess the part which has been
assigned to the contestant. Thauvin, a fifty-year-old with an obese and sagging body ... The
nausea voluntarily provoked by Thauvin shows
therefore a very extended use of signs: not only is ugliness used here in order to signify
baseness, but in addition ugliness is wholly gathered into a particularly repulsive quality of
matter ... I know from the start that all of Thauvin's actions, his treacheries, cruelties and acts
of cowardice, will not fail to measure up to the first image of ignobility he gave me; I can trust
him to carry out intelligently and to the last detail all the gestures of a kind of amorphous
baseness, and thus fill to the brim the image of the most repugnant bastard there is: the bastardoctopus (p.2).
This description of the wrestler Thauvin contains a number of signifiers. His physical image:
fifty-year-old with an obese and sagging body accompanied by his general mannerisms, are

all signifiers. The immediate impression gained by these signifiers lead us to the signified ...
all of Thauvin's actions, his treacheries, cruelties and acts of cowardice, will not fail to measure
up to the first image of ignobility he gave me. The impression we gain of ugliness and evil by
way of the signifier and signified form an image of a villain which is the sign. This example
of a Denotative Sign System is easily dissected because of its theatrical nature. The ability to
clearly define the signifier and signified, and therefore the sign, is not always so easily
achieved.
Application of Semiotic Theory can be applied to many aspects of everyday life and includes
activities carried out by most people. Signs have become a part of everyday living and are
everywhere. In many societies they are essential, for without them there would be chaos. A
simple task such as driving from A to B could become a real nightmare without knowing where
you are going, what the road rules are, or how fast your car is travelling. The application of
signs in society gives us rules and order. But signs are not always so clearly displayed, read, or
interpreted. A married couple can tell each other's sad state of mind whereas anyone else may
not realise that anything is wrong or out of place. A farmer can tell a sick animal from a healthy
one, others will see absolutely no difference. A systems analyst will interpret the clients' needs
better than a programmer (in most cases). More often than not experience in reading or
interpreting a sign is essential in gaining meaning to it and a better understanding of what it is
trying to get across. If signs were always clearly interpreted, the number of system projects
failing wouldn't be so great; a clear thorough understanding of what is needed would be more
easily obtained.
Evaluation of Semiotic Theory seems to be based on a mainly Interpretive Approach but does
include a small number of Scientific or Objective Approach qualities. The process of
deciphering a sign involves many interpretive aspects. While a particular symbol may mean
something in one culture, it may mean something different in another. It is how that culture
interprets that symbol which determines its meaning. An example can be taken from The
World of Wrestling' essay by Barthes, As soon as the adversaries are in the ring, the public is
overwhelmed with the obviousness of the roles. (p.2). That particular culture (public) has a
clear interpretation of what they think the wrestlers are portraying. This is clarified further on
in the essay: It has already been noted that in America wrestling represents a sort of
mythological fight between Good and Evil (of a quasi-political nature, the 'bad' wrestler always
being supposed to be a Red [Communist]). (Barthes, 1957, p.3). This tells us clearly that it is
the American public's interpretation of events which gives the desired meaning or effect. The

same show' being played out in another culture will likely have very different results. This
clearly shows an example of Clarification of Values'.
Over the course of his career, Barthes reviewed his theory and even changed his mind about
certain aspects. This evolution' as it has been referred to, shows that it was very much under
scrutiny and social reform. Given that it in no way could be scientifically tested', many other
scholars or likewise had their own opinion on Semiotic Theory some for and other against.
Either way, it was all very much how it was interpreted.

Conclusion
Summary of Points Roland Barthes (1915 1980) is one of the most recognised names in the
field of Semiotics. His Semiotic Theory has been the inspiration behind many aspiring students
and teachers alike. His rise to fame coincided with the release of his 1957 book Mythologies,
which was a collection of essays he had authored. The public was so fascinated by his ideas
that his opinion was often sort in the public arena.
Signs range from speech, body language and symbols to paintings, music and Morse code.
Barthes' Semiotic Theory broke down the process of reading signs and focused on their
interpretation by different cultures or societies. According to Barthes, signs had both a signifier,
being the physical form of the sign as we perceive it through our senses and the signified, or
meaning that is interpreted.
Barthes also believed that every ideological sign is either a Denotative sign system or a
Connotative sign system. A Denotative sign, which is a strictly descriptive system, is the result
of the signifier image and the signified concept combining. A Connotative sign is one that
has lost its historical meaning. This could be due to a number of things including: changes in
culture or terminology, an event, or even just evolution.
Semiotic Theory is an Interpretive' theory that can be applied to most aspects of everyday life
although most people would not realise it.
A Critique of the Theory Roland Barthes often caused controversy because of his often nonscholarly point of view, and the subjective nature of his essays. Barthes' 1963 study Sur
Racine' was one such series of works that caused such controversy. Another Racine' scholar
name Raymond Picard, took particular exception to this work and criticised Barthes' approach

in some of his work. In turn, Barthes responded by writing an essay which implied that criticism
should become a science'. Generally such criticism of Barthes work was rare, and his approach
often had fellow scholars intrigued.
It is my opinion that this theory is an over-analysis of what should be a simple act of reading a
sign. Constantly analysing every aspect of life would easily become very painstaking and I can
imagine some enjoyment of life' would be lost due to this. The concept of the signifier and
signified forming the sign seems relatively simple in theory and if left at that would be. The
constant in-depth analysis of even the simplest of tasks seems to be rather pedantic and
unnecessary hence the reason I am not a Semiotic Theorist.

Glossary of Terms
Amorphous Having no definite form.
Baseness Despicable, Untrustworthy, Treacherous.
Connotative In Semiotics connotation arises when the denotative relationship between a
signifier and its signified is inadequate to serve the needs of the community.
Connotative Sign System A mythic sign that has lost its historical referent; form without
substance.
Denotative - In semiotics, denotation is the surface or literal meaning encoded to a signifier.
Denotative Sign System - A descriptive sign without ideological content.
Ideology Knowledge presented as common sense or natural, especially when its social
construction is ignored or suppressed.
Ignobility Not noble in quality, character or purpose.
Myth The connotative meaning that signs carry wherever they go; myth makes what is
cultural seem natural.
Philology - the study of literature and of disciplines relevant to literature or to language as used
in literature.
Sanatorium an institution for treating chronic diseases, typically tuberculosis.
Sign The inseparable combination of the signifier and the signified.
Signified The meaning we associate with the sign. The idea or thing that that the Signifier
represents.
Signifier The physical form of the sign as we perceive it through our senses; an image, object
or word being referred too.

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