Roland Barthes

By Jaimie van Driel

Georgie Neal

& Stacey boardman

5 key codes

Barthes suggested that there are 5 key codes to describe the meaning of a text…\

He also said that texts may be open or closed, open being many strand in one story e.g. eastenders as it has many characters and no foreseeable ending, and closed being only one strand e.g. About Time

The Enigma (hermeneutic) code

This codes set up and usually solves puzzles. The main one usually occurs at the start e.g. why did this plane crash?

Clues are dropped but no clear answers are given e.g. Kill List

Two kinds of pleasures involved, the audience never know what is going to happen or happened, also allows for your own creation of endings (imagination).

Proairetic ( action code)

This code contains sequential elements of action in the text adding suspense

This makes complex actions readable through small details so we don’t have to have everything spelled out e.g. seeing someone on a stretcher would signal the journey to a hospital bed which would then be no surprise if it appears on screen

Semantic code

This code links to sections within a text that suggest an additional meaning e.g. connotations and denotations – red love passion blood.

Symbolic code

Symbolism with in a text

It creates opposites to show contrasts to create greater meaning which would then lead on to create tension, drama and character development e.g. a child being shut in a cupboard could symbolise larger scale child abuse.

Cultural/referential codeAnything that anchors the text in scientific, historical and cultural context e.g. 28 days later challenges our cultural understanding of the zombie, because the director makes the zombies fast, strong and agile monsters. This surprises the audience as it goes against the stereo type of a zombie.