Roland Barthes (due 10/1)

My first exposure to semiotics was Barthes’ The Photographic Message, which served as an immense literary challenge, as initially, his verbose work was intimidating and enigmatic. However, upon mastering the work, one is able to understand Barthes’ brilliant formulas and theories for studying text. For example, his theory of identifying the signified, connotation and denotation of all elements of the text allows the audience to perform a critical examination of texts, such as political photos or cartoons and advertisements. Barthes and other semiologists have expanded the way in which people study and interpret texts.