Structuralism and post-structuralism emerged from philosophical movements in mid-20th century France. Structuralism studies the underlying structures that form cultural and linguistic systems, rather than focusing on individuals or history. Post-structuralism critiques and builds upon structuralism by emphasizing that meaning is unstable and constantly evolving. It sees concepts as floating signifiers without fixed meanings. Both approaches examine how language constructs meaning through systems of signs and signification.

1. Name :- Jagruti R. Vasani
Sem :- 2
Roll No.:- 14
Enrollment No:- 2069108420180054
Email Id :- jagrutivasani17@gmail.com
Paper 7 :- Literary Theory and Criticism
Subject :- Concept and origin of structuralism and post-structuralism
Submitted To :- Smt S.B. Gardi Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji University Bhavnagar

2. STRUCTURALISM
The origins of Structuralism in this broad
sense in the emergence of the doctrine of
market failure in England during the 1930s
and 1940s.
Secondly, It indicates between this line of
thought and the latin American
structuralist theory of inflation.

3. Continued…..
 “Structuralism is not particularly interested in
meaning But rather in attempting to describe
and understand the conventions and modes of
signification which make it possible to mean.”
 One example is here:
SIGN : Mcdonald Icon
SIGNIFIED
Mcdonald
brand
SIGNIFIER
Mcdonald
Icon
S
I
G
N
I
F
C
A
T
I
O
N
Mcdonald restaurant in mind

4. Structuralism in Hamlet
 Story is perfectly woven in a literary structure of
pattern, connection and motifs
 Connect to tropes and geners of the past
 The power of words
 The idea of madness
 Imagery and allusion to poison
 Revenge and murder
 System of recurrent patterns of motifs

5. POST-STRUCTURALISM
 Post-Structuralism is a late 20th century
movement in philosophy and literary
criticism, which is difficult summarize
but which generally defines itself in its
opposition to the popular Structuralism
movement which preceded it in 1950s
and 1960s France.
 A variation of structuralism, often seen
as a critique, emphasizing plurality of
meaning and instability of concepts that
structuralism uses to define society,
language and many things.

6. Political Context
 Post-structuralism emerged during a time of Political upheaval in
France. May of 1968 was filled with general worker strikes and
university and factory occupations. During this short period, France’s
advanced capitalist economy was virtually halted for about two weeks.
May 1968 meant the end of traditional collective action and the
beginning of a new era to be dominated mainly by social movements.
The short lived movement didn’t spur a revolution but it did spur a
general interest in radical political and philosophical ideas among the
public.

7. Continued…
 Constructionism →Floating signifier
 A major theoretical school in the postmodern age which
radicalizes structuralist views of language by seeing
signified as signifier, and separating signs from ‘Reality’.
 In conflict with many other theoretical schools such as
Marxism, Feminism and Post colonialism, but also get to
be combined with them.
 The areas of its influences range from arts, politics to
popular culture.

8. Conclusion
 Structuralism in its crusading guise was found of making
statement to the effect that the day of the human subject
was past, in fields of thought where previously that subject
had been assumed to be a paramount. That way
structuralism is very important same way post-
structuralism is beyond structuralism. Both the term is
about sign of language in their different point of view.