About
Roland Barthes (1915-1980) was a major figure of structuralism and the New Criticism. After studying classical letters and philology, he worked at the CNRS and then directed studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études. In 1977, he became the first holder of the Chair of Literary Semiology at the Collège de France. His works, such as Writing Degree Zero, Mythologies, and S/Z, renewed the analysis of texts and cultural phenomena. His oeuvre, marked by a reflection on language, myth, and the pleasure of the text, had a lasting influence on the humanities.
* 1915-11-12 — † 1980-03-26
Major works
- Le Degré zéro de l'écriture (1953)essay
- Mythologies (1957)essay
- S/Z (1970)essay
- Fragments d'un discours amoureux (1977)essay
- La Chambre claire (1980)essay
Key milestones
- 1952Becomes a researcher at the CNRS, a position he holds until 1959.
- 1960Appointed Director of Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études.
- 1977Elected to the Chair of Literary Semiology at the Collège de France.
Themes
semiologymythpleasure of the textliterary criticismphotography
Sources: college-de-france.fr · data.bnf.fr · britannica.com