Mythologies

Rating:
Summary: Myth and Narratives Alive
Review: As scholars of folklore and mythology were looking at their own past as well as currently to explore the narratives of the past and of "primative" peoples, Roland Barthes was looking at the world around him in France in the 1950s to the early 1970s. Why are human beings drawn to folktales, fairy tales, mythic figures? Barthes discovers that this draw surrounds us everyday, used both commerically and unconsciously from the personas of professional wrestlers (who resemble those seen on American television today) to our discussions of public figures. Mythology, Barthes argues, is a vital and living part of our society but it is also one used without real understanding because it is so deeply ingrained in the human mind and heart. The essays are light so that the non-specialist can enjoy but deep enough that the scholar can see and understand the theory underneath.

Rating:
Summary: changed my life
Review: I agree with everything that "[e-mail]" said, except when he said "I'm French", because I'm not. However I read this book in French, several times over. It's amazing that commentary so attached to 1950's icons has remained so relevant; obviously the structures haven't changed much. This book permanently affected the way I see things, particularly in the media. It should be required reading for all media consumers, and that's pretty much everyone.

At the same time, "Mythologies" offers an object lesson in the bond between language and culture. Much of Barthes' appeal lies in his tongue-in-cheek linguistic play, and that's something no translator could capture completely. This book alone is a good enough reason to learn French.

Rating:
Summary: changed my life
Review: I agree with everything that "[e-mail]" said, except when he said "I'm French", because I'm not. However I read this book in French, several times over. It's amazing that commentary so attached to 1950's icons has remained so relevant; obviously the structures haven't changed much. This book permanently affected the way I see things, particularly in the media. It should be required reading for all media consumers, and that's pretty much everyone.

At the same time, "Mythologies" offers an object lesson in the bond between language and culture. Much of Barthes' appeal lies in his tongue-in-cheek linguistic play, and that's something no translator could capture completely. This book alone is a good enough reason to learn French.

Rating:
Summary: changed my life
Review: I agree with everything that "[e-mail]" said, except when he said "I'm French", because I'm not. However I read this book in French, several times over. It's amazing that commentary so attached to 1950's icons has remained so relevant; obviously the structures haven't changed much. This book permanently affected the way I see things, particularly in the media. It should be required reading for all media consumers, and that's pretty much everyone.

At the same time, "Mythologies" offers an object lesson in the bond between language and culture. Much of Barthes' appeal lies in his tongue-in-cheek linguistic play, and that's something no translator could capture completely. This book alone is a good enough reason to learn French.

Rating:
Summary: Un pur Chef d'Oeuvre
Review: I agree. Although a magnificent book, the translation "mutilates" (lol love that). Find a better translation, or, if at all possible, read it in French. There are several concepts which do NOT fully emerge in the english language version. The chapters are not entirely distinct from one another. Happy Reading all :)

Rating:
Summary: Translation
Review: I agree. Although a magnificent book, the translation "mutilates" (lol love that). Find a better translation, or, if at all possible, read it in French. There are several concepts which do NOT fully emerge in the english language version. The chapters are not entirely distinct from one another. Happy Reading all :)

Rating:
Summary: Pertinant in some ways, arguable in others
Review: I thought that many of Barthes's themes resound astonishingly well even today.

However, I found myself overly distracted by his underlying premises in many cases, which simply echo the outmoded Marxist/Atheistic materialism so prevelent in the 1950's literary community. One example is how he blames the middle class in France for propaganda that features a patriotic cover on a national magazine and a photograph of a young soldier. In fact, the middle class (or bourgeoisie) is blamed for every societal issue Barthes defines.

When will the literary community understand that the middle class is not the enemy of a free society?? Why does EVERY literary study or contextual analysis need to be based on Marxist theory?? Come on! It's the 21st century after all. Can we please update the scholars with the realities in which we live day to day??

But returning to Mythologies -- I would recommend reading because of how well the topics parallel our common experience. Just beware that many of his conclusions are from an outmoded, unrealistic, and impractical worldview.

Rating:
Summary: Behind the Amusement
Review: I was an Arther Anderson Drop-Out Accountant going to Architecture school. I fell in love with a Radical Feminist Marxist Critic and Theorist. I asked "Where do I start?" She said nothing, pulled Mythologies off her shelf and gave it to me. Forward it led to Foucault and Derrida, Backward to Marx, Hegel, Locke and Hobbes.

It politely said "The Powerful Make Forms - The Forms Have Meaning - What Do They Make? Why Do They Make It? How Do They Make It?"

and architecture stopped being about 2x4's

Still my favorite is The New Citroen......

Rating:
Summary: The Cusp
Review: I was an Arther Anderson Drop-Out Accountant going to Architecture school. I fell in love with a Radical Feminist Marxist Critic and Theorist. I asked "Where do I start?" She said nothing, pulled Mythologies off her shelf and gave it to me. Forward it led to Foucault and Derrida, Backward to Marx, Hegel, Locke and Hobbes.

It politely said "The Powerful Make Forms - The Forms Have Meaning - What Do They Make? Why Do They Make It? How Do They Make It?"

and architecture stopped being about 2x4's

Still my favorite is The New Citroen......

Rating:
Summary: A great read for the train
Review: I was first exposed to this book as an undergraduate, and the same tattered old copy has remained with me ever since. It really changed the way I look at the world and the media that surrounds me. Beyond its subject matter though, it is just a pleasant read and is just long enough for the train ride from Boston to New York.