This week in class we discussed de Saussure, Barthes, and Macherey. Throughout our discussion of comparing and contrasting these three theories on text, I found the consistent theme of intertextuality or comparing texts in order to get meaning. I also found the common theme of the importance of "difference (de Saussure)" or "tension" for Barthes, or "rupture" as Macherey puts it. I like the idea of difference and conflict in text in order to create and give meaning. It shows that one peice of text can not be greater than another because they depend on each other in order to have a meaning and a context. If a person has only read one book or one article, they can't fully appreciate the meaning of it because they have nothing to compare it to. This intertwines Barthes' concept of Perversion and Voyeurism, "looking at more that one thing and in different ways to uncover meanings." Each reader can employ these concepts in different ways in order to create their own interpretation and develop their own appreciation for a text. These concepts can be applied to any form; movies, plays, food, paintings etc. How can a person get a feel for what they like or dislike if they haven't had a variety of options? As my blogger name tells, I like comedic movies like Ace Ventura. But there are many different kinds of humor and many different interpretations of humor. As I learned in CMC-100, humor is a difficult concept to translate across countries. A comedy that is successful in the United States would most likely fail if sent to Germany or Spain. People from other countries interpret things in a different way and find value in different things than we do in the United States so they would fail to see the same humor that we see and vice versa. But without this comparison, they may not have the same appreciation they now have for their comedies. Even though de Saussure, Barthes, and Macherey have different names and concepts for this idea of intertexuality, all of them show the importance of it.
P.S. I'm really sorry this post was late!
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1 comment:
You tie together the theorists and their terms very well and clearly. You also make a great point about comedy and how it translates differently across cultures - especially for me finding the differences between British comedy and American! Great job!
Smiley Face :)
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