The publication of Mythologies in 1957 transformed how popular culture was scrutinized, as Roland Barthes applied rigorous analytical techniques to subjects ranging from soap detergents to professional wrestling. A polymath who operated across sociology, semiotics, and literary theory, he interrogated the sign systems of Western society, eventually securing a prestigious chair at the Collège de France.
Academic Formation and Early Struggles
Born in Cherbourg in 1915, Barthes navigated a youth defined by both geographic movement and severe health challenges. After his father, Louis, died in World War I, his mother, Henriette, raised him in Urt and Bayonne. Moving to Paris in 1924, he later attended the Lycée Montaigne and Lycée Louis-le-Grand. His studies at the University of Paris from 1935 to 1939 were repeatedly interrupted by tuberculosis, an illness that exempted him from military service but necessitated long periods of isolation in sanatoria. He eventually earned a degree in classical literature and a diploma for research on Greek tragedy.
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In 1948, following teaching roles in France, Romania, and Egypt, Barthes began contributing to the Parisian newspaper Combat. These contributions formed the basis for his 1953 work, Writing Degree Zero. He subsequently joined the National Center for Scientific Research in 1952, where he focused on lexicology and sociology. During this period, his structuralist investigations into the mechanisms of language and culture began to solidify, leading to high-profile academic conflicts, most notably a public dispute with Raymond Picard regarding the nature of literary criticism.
The Death of the Author and Mature Theory
Barthes achieved international influence through his radical reassessment of authorship. His 1967 essay, 'The Death of the Author', argued against traditional methods of interpreting texts based on the creator's biography. This work, alongside the 1970 structuralist analysis of Balzac’s Sarrasine titled S/Z, defined his mature phase. In the 1970s, he shifted his focus toward textuality and neutrality, balancing his research at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences with his appointment in 1977 to the chair of Sémiologie Littéraire at the Collège de France.
Final Years and Photography
Following the death of his mother in 1977, with whom he had lived for 60 years, Barthes produced Camera Lucida. This final major work integrated his semiotic training with a deeply personal meditation on the nature of photography. His life concluded abruptly in 1980 after he was struck by a laundry van in Paris. He died from pulmonary complications on 26 March 1980 and was buried in Urt.
Fast facts
- Born: 1915, Cherbourg
- Died: 1980, Paris
- Primary Movement: Structuralism
- Notable Collection: Mythologies (1957)
- Academic Base: Collège de France
- Final Major Work: Camera Lucida
- Burial Site: Urt
- Film Appearance: The Brontë Sisters (1979)
Questions readers ask
What was the main argument of The Death of the Author?
It critiqued traditional literary criticism that relied on the author's background to interpret a text.
What did Mythologies investigate?
It contained 54 short essays analyzing Western popular culture, covering topics from professional wrestling to soap products.
Achievements
- Notable work: The Death of the Author
- Notable work: Mythologies
- Affiliated with Collège de France, School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and National Center for Scientific Research
- Educated at Lycée Louis-le-Grand, Lycée Montaigne and Faculty of Arts of Paris
- Worked as philosopher, literary critic and university teacher
