15th October 2016

Another Theory of Narrative

Roland "Laundry truck" Barthes

He argued that every narrative is interwoven with multiple codes. Although we impose temporal and generic structures onto texts, there are in fact marked by the multiple meanings suggested by the five codes.

Hermeneutic Code 

Any element of the story that is not fully explained and hence 

becomes a mystery to the audience.

Proairetic Code

 Applies to any other action or event that indicates something

else is going to happen, building tension.

 Semantic Code 

 This refers to the connotation within the story

that gives additional meaning over the basic

denotative meaning of signs.

Symbolic Code 

 Similar to the Semantic one but acts on

a wider level.

Cultural Code

 Any element in the story that relies on the readers'

knowledge and understanding of the world.