Barthesian Codes
After a brief history, and an explanation of the Barthesian codes, structuralism will be applied to the thirteenth letter of Mariama Ba's book So Long a Letter. Structuralism is a very effective theory to apply to this particular text because it pays close attention to the context in which the novel is written. "Things cannot be understood in isolation - they have to be seen in the context of the larger structures they are part of (hence the term 'structuralism')" (Barry 39). Structuralism reveals the way in which Ba creates enigmas within the text, and highlights her use of thematic elements to expand the characters and story involved. A structuralist reading of Ba's book also displays cultural references that are commonplace in Senegal, the setting of the novel. Structuralism emerged in France in the 1950's and was advanced as a theory primarily through the work of two individuals. Claude Levi-Strauss is an anthropologist who employs structuralism in his efforts, and Roland Barthes is a literary critic whose application of structuralism helped to boost its popularity throughout the 1970's and 1980's. The main teaching of structuralism is that a piece cannot be properly understood without the context of the larger structure
** Mawdo has had a similar experience with Aissatou. He thinks back and forth between his experience and Ramatoulaye's current circumstance. (SYM. Binary polarity: Aissatou's reactions and Ramatoulaye's reactions). *** SEM. Wariness of Mawdo. 1) The proairetic code - Indicates actions. Represented by ACT. (12) The two incisors with a wide gap between them, the sign of the primacy of love in the individual. * REF. Cultural myth of a gap between the teeth. Structuralist Criticism of letter 13 of Mariama Ba's So Long a Letter.
Some common words found in the essay are:
SYM Binary, REF Common, Letter Structuralism, REF Chronological, Roland Barthes, SYM Minor, ACT Negation, SYM Antithesis, Wariness Mawdo, REF Cultural, binary polarity, * act, sym binary, sym binary polarity, ref common, happy unhappy, visitors pleasure, ba's book, visitors pleasure relating, perfection honesty, symbolic code, context larger, code linked theme,
Approximate Word count = 1291
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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