- Paperback: 96 pages
- Publisher: Hodder Arnold; illustrated edition edition (3 May 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 034084499X
- ISBN-13: 978-0340844991
- Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 13 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 483,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
The purpose of this book is to unravel the various strands of Barthes' thinking, present key concepts in historical context, and identify the areas where his influence is most strongly felt today. There is no basic introduction to Barthes in the English speaking market today other than the caricatural introducing Barthes. Furthermore introductions which are now out of print have been written by literature specialists, who are largely unaware of Barthes' legacy in other areas of the humanities. This book fills these gaps.
About the Author
Mireille ribiere is an educational and academic writer. She is well qualified to write on a modern French philosopher and literary/cultural figures such as Barthes.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Mireille Ribière’s Barthes – A Beginner’s Guide,
By Nicole (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Barthes (Beginner's Guide) (Paperback)
Mireille Ribière’s introduction to Roland Barthes is for its size an amazingly informative summary of Barthes’ ideas and concepts within their theoretical and historical context. It is gives an overview of all facets of this influential and prolific writer beyond narrow disciplinary foci and is therefore useful not only for beginners. On top of explaining and assessing Barthes’ key concepts and fields of study, Ribière offers a very informed, concise and easy to read summary of theoretical concepts such as structuralism, semiology and post-structuralism that does not overly simplifies those concepts but neither requires any previous knowledge of the reader.Ribière traces Barthes’ development as thinker, cultural theorist and creative writer, and expertly summarizes his seminal influence in literary and cultural studies, film studies, and later in photography and hypertext theory. Describing Barthes’ versatility and the bandwidth of his interests, Ribière does not ignore the contradictions in Barthes’ development but sensitively works out the uniting elements in his work as a thinker who delighted in the paradox.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clear and concise,
By
This review is from: Barthes (Beginner's Guide) (Paperback)
There's no getting away from the fact that Barthes is difficult - and so this is an excellent introduction to his work and thinking. It does an excellent job of placing Barthes into his historical, social, political and cultural contexts, and provides some excellent summaries of intellectual concepts such as structuralism, formalism etc. as well as key words in their Barthesian use e.g. the 'text'.My only small caveat - and this might sound absurd to some - is that the book almost makes Barthes too coherent and cogent, as if all his developments are logical and, somehow, inevitable - the kind of progression and unity that Barthes actually strived to disrupt throughout his life. So I would still recommend this to students, especially undergraduates being introduced to theory for the first time. Do, however, make sure that you read this alongside Barthes' own writings, however much you might struggle, rather than as a substitute for your own encounter with his work.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Roland Barthes for a wider readership,
This review is from: Barthes (Beginner's Guide) (Paperback)
Mireille Ribière's book, 'Barthes: A Beginner's Guide' (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2002), is a dynamic enterprise seeking to render the highly complex work of the French theorist Roland Barthes (1915-1980) more accessible to a wider readership. Evidently designed for an undergraduate student audience, the book is nonetheless valuable for anyone interested in an approachable exegesis of this aspect of cultural studies. Ribière begins with a contextualisation of Barthes, through biographical details, alongside his theoretical inheritance and his move from structuralism to poststructuralism. She claims, 'from the start, Barthes borrowed elements from theories developed by others. He combined and used these elements to build his own original theories and having achieved recognition for his endeavours, he would simply move on' ('Barthes: A Beginner's Guide', p. 1) - a profile which identifies Barthes' work as having much in common with the multiplicity of postmodern pastiche. The writer then moves to a highly lucid but straightforward interpretation of Barthes' major concepts, including mythologies, semiology, structuralism, textual theories and the role of the reader. The student is aided in each instance by a summary and succinct definitions of keywords. 'Barthes: A Beginner's Guide' is essential for students or general readers attempting to grasp the intricate philosophies of one of cultural theory's leading practitioners.
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