Theory into Practice: Application of Roland Barthes’ Five Codes on Bina Shah’s ‘The Optimist’
Journal Title: Academic Research International - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 5
Abstract
The present research applies Roland Barthes structural theory of five codes on The Optimist (2007), a short story by Bina Shah, a promising Pakistani fiction writer of the younger generation. The present study qualitatively examines the selected story in the light of five codes. The study includes brief critical premises of The Optimist and then the application of the five codes as theorized by Barthes on the structure of the story. Relying on the textual analysis, it shows that the selected story is tangled by all the five codes i.e. the proairetic, hermeneutic, semantic, symbolic and cultural codes. The story starts with an enigma, is full of suspense where several elements stand for connotative meaning. It is rich with the cultural references of Pakistani and Western society. Most importantly, binary oppositions (symbolic code) play a central role in the structure of the story. The theme and structure of the story rests on the idea of difference or binary oppositions. The study concludes that the author has created a fine balance in the story through the contrasting personalities of Adnan and Raheela. Their opposing nature, viewpoints, cultures and their perception of reality as opposed to the actual reality provide the basic structure and content to the story.
Authors and Affiliations
Waseem Malik, Sabah Zaib, Faraz Bughio
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP152799
- DOI -
- Views 131
- Downloads 0
SENSORY EVALUATION OF HONEY SOLD IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN NIGERIA
This study was undertaken to carry out sensory evaluation of honey sold in five towns in Nigeria. The towns are Bida, Minna, Suleja, Kontagora, all in Niger State and Obollo-Afor in Enugu State. Samples of honey proc...
HUMAN RIGHTS AND QUALITY EDUCATION IN NIGERIAN PRIMARY SCHOOLS
The main purpose of this paper is to examine human rights and quality of education in Nigeria Education has proved to be greatest investment for economic, social, political and cultural development. Consequently, the N...
VISCOUS DISSIPATION EFFECT ON THE MIXED CONVECTION MH FLOW TOWARDS A STAGNATION POINT WITH CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY CONDITION IN A POROUS MEDIA
An analysis of the viscous dissipation effect of the mixed convection MHD flow towards a stagnation point with convective boundary condition embedded in a porous media has been the subject of this research work. The...
BUSINESS EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS: A VIEWPOINT OF STUDENTS AND MANAGERS
Corporate world is always looking for a trained and better equipped business graduate who could deliver results instantly as well as in the long term. And business graduates are expecting an instant return to their inv...
PERSONALITY TRAITS AND PATERNAL PARENTING STYLE AS PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF CAREER CHOICE
The paper describes the relationship of Big five personality factors and paternal parenting style to career preference of selected Filipino college freshmen. Two hundred college students (n=200) who were part of the larg...