Barthes, Roland
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Roland Barthes (November 12, 1915 – March 25, 1980)
Roland Barthes was a French literary theorist and intellectual. Like Michel Foucault, Barthes was heavily invested in explaining the ever-changing power stuggle between author and reader in classical literature. He embraced structuralist theory as outlined by Ferdinand de Saussure and used its application to literature to develop his own arguments. His literary work became an important precursor to deconstructionism in the 1960's. The problem of writing literature that can be embraced by people of all social classes and intellects was one he found particulary problematic. His work in this specific field helped better develop current conceptions of the effectiveness of literature and proper reading and writing practices. For a fuller biography, and one that goes deeper into his life works, see Wikipedia's Roland Barthes Article.
Related Research Reports
Alex Barkett 19:43, 17 May 2006 (PDT)
