Roland Barthes was a French literary theorist who developed theories about how narratives and texts can be analyzed and interpreted. According to Barthes, all narratives have certain structural elements that are organized in different ways, and there are a limited number of structures that affect how we read texts. Barthes also believed that there is no single correct reading of a text, and that re-reading a text allows different meanings to emerge each time. He argued that readers should take an active role in interpreting texts and determining their own meanings rather than just receiving the information literally.

1. ROLAND BARTHES Livvy Free 12 th November 1915 – 25 th March 1980

2. BARTHES’ VIEWS Barthes says that all narratives share structural features that are brought together in different ways. Although there are differences between individual narratives, they all have a limited number of organisational structures that affect our reading of texts – these are called ‘Narrative/Enigma codes’.

3. According to Barthes, there is always more than one way to read a text. Within any given text there is a plurality of meaning rather than one correct reading. To uncover a text’s plural meaning, you have to read the text, and then re-read it. This is because every time you read a text, you read it in a slightly different way to the previous time. With each re-reading, another meaning comes to the surface. BARTHES’ VIEWS

4. Barthes argues that we should take the existence of these codes as an invitation to read a text in ways to bring out multiple meanings and connotations. He rejects the view that an audience should read a text for its linear plot, or be controlled by it. He believes that an audience should have a "writerly" rather than a "readerly" approach to texts. HOW TO ABSORB A TEXT:

5. Barthes states that most texts are ‘readerly’ texts. These are texts that are presented in the usual linear, traditional manner of style and content – this is pre-determined so that the reader is simply receiving the information. These texts attempt, through the use of representations, to hide anything that would open up the text to multiple meaning – e.g. advertising ‘ READERLY’ TEXT

6. ‘ Writerly’ texts reveal those elements that the ‘readerly’ texts attempt to hide. The reader is now in a position of control and takes an active role in determining the meaning of the text. The ‘writerly’ text undermine the reader’s expectations. ‘ WRITERLY’ TEXT

7. Barthes' Enigma Code is a theory that suggests that any text, such as television, film, a poster, makes the audience question something and intrigue the audience to draw them in. For example, a murder mystery will often not reveal the identity of the murderer until the end of the story. This encourages the audience to ask the question – "Who is the murderer?" ENIGMA CODE

8. Barthes’ theory of the five codes is a way of grouping signifiers according to the role they play in the text. These are categorised as: The Hermeneutic Code – the voice of truth The Proairetic Code – the voice of empirics The Semantic Code – the voice of the person The Symbolic Code – the voice of the symbol The Cultural Code – the voice of knowledge NARRATIVE / ENIGMA CODES

9. NARRATIVE / ENIGMA CODES Reading a text with the five codes in mind is like looking at an image through a series of coloured lenses. The image remains the same but your impression of it changes. Texts in which the Semantic, Symbolic, and Cultural Codes dominate are closer to Barthes’s idea of the ‘writerly’ text. They give you a sense of what the narrative is like rather than tell you what happens.