Introduction:
Roland Barthes, one of the most influential and brilliant critics in the twentieth century, was a staunch advocate of semiology and structuralism. His famous treatise “The Elements of Semiology” (1964) and famous essay, “Introduction to the Structural Analysis of the Narrative” made memorable contribution to the evolution of semiology and structuralism which were initiated by Ferdinand de Saussure. In the beginning he wanted to ‘found a science of literary criticism.’ Later, under the influence of Derrida and Lacan his interest shifted from the general rules and constraints of narrative to the production of meaning in the process of reading.
Critical analysis:
In his famous essay, “The Death of the Author” Barthes asserted that “the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author.” In his most important work of literary criticism S/Z (1970) he comments exhaustively on Balzac’s famous story “Sarrasine”. His method of analysis provides an insight into structuralist narratology. In the “textual Analysis of a Tale” (1973) by Edgar Allan Poe, he breaks down the text in lexias or small units of sense. Barthes aimed at showing how each small unit carries “many different meanings simultaneously or in different codes.”
Barthes proposes that structuralism is capable of an explanation of any sign system of any culture. He also perceives that such an explanation necessities a theology of meaning or explanation. This gives rise to the idea of ‘meta language’ which implies beyond language or second order language. Each order of language implicitly relies on a meta-language by which it is explained. Meta-language means “the language and terminology used to talk analytical about language itself.” In the course of interpreting one another the metalanguages will suffer ‘aporia’ or indefinite regression and thus, will vanish ultimately. He defends structuralism.
In “The Death of the Author” Barthes points out that the reader must cultivate an independent concept of the text and must completely dissociate himself from the author. When the writing begins, “the author enters into his own death.” In the capitalist ideology great importance has been attached to the “persona of the author.” The author still occupies a dominant place in histories of literature, biographies, magazine and interviews. Men of beliefs have been anxious to establish close relationship between authors and their works through diaries letters and memoirs. Literature is tyrannically author centred. An author’s life, readings, tastes, passions etc. are supposed to influence his writings. But “criticism consists for the most part in saying that Baudelaire’s work is the failure of Baudelaire, the man, Van Gogh’s his madness, Tchaikovsky’s his vice.” Barthes disagrees with the established view that “a work is always sought in the man or woman who produced it…”
Conclusion:
In modern time the writer has no existence. “He is born simultaneously with the text.” He has no being preceding or exceeding the writing. The reader interprets a work. The author has no place. Barthes concludes “ it is necessary to overthrow the myth, the birth, the reader must be at the cost of the author.”
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