This book was my introduction to Roland Barthes and semiology, and I can't believe what I've been missing. He examines relatively mundane cultural myths, and it is simply brilliant. His use and examination of language is perfect, and I will reread this book regularly.

My favorite essay, by far, was "Novels and Children." He examines an Elle article about female novelists, and notes their writing is heralded along with (and truly, secondary to) their maternal accomplishments. Given that Wikipedia's American Novelists list was recently pared of female writers, who were shunted to a category just for lady writers, this is still a painfully relevant topic. It was a delight to read.

It is not a "beach read" by any means; it requires quite a bit of thought and consideration. I loved his perspective, and I'm inspired and awestruck. Though I'm not a French speaker, I would assume I have to praise the translations of Barthes' Mythologies by Richard Howard and Myth Today by Annette Lavers.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for an intelligent read. Many of the myths he examined from 1954-56 in French culture are relevant to American culture in 2013. I hate to say I found it surprising and a touch mind-boggling, but I do. I truly loved his linguistic and cultural examinations. I cannot recommend this enough; I would give a copy to everyone I know if I could.

After spending a semester with Barthes and pairing it with the Best American Non-required reading 2006 book, I'd say I got a lot out of it. A lot our class (that we read this book for) really didn't like Barthes, primarily because he is so abstract and likes to use the flowery language. I think for the average reader, this is a book where you have to slow down and think about every word, every sentence, every paragraph to get what he is saying in the slightest bit, which is good because it challenges the brain! That's why I did like the book so much. As much as I hated being abstract and trying to decipher it's text, it made me stronger as a reader and a writer. Good ole Barthes! :D

First half is good second half is dry

dicari-cari di rak kok ndak ada.
ketlisut, atau ada nyang minjem kagak balik?
duh....

probably outdated now. Very important to me when I read it in university in the 80s. A mind expander.

Attempting to decipher the hidden layers of true meaning behind the mundane happenings of daily life is a lofty goal indeed. Roland Barthes' Mythologies attempts to do just that, using semiotics as a structural discipline to unravel the 'myths' that we see around us. The mythologies referred to in the book are not the ones we usually mean, such as Norse mythology or Greek mythology. Rather they refer to the innate significance or symbolism behind everyday objects and occurrences.

Through a series of essays on topics as varied as wrestling, or the difference between wine and milk, Barthes throws a new light on age old topics. In one particularly wonderful essay, he explains that the reason we like foamy soap and associate it with luxury, is because we see it as the generation of abundance (foam) from seemingly nothing (a small bar of soap). Something akin to Cornucopia, in other words.

A couple of challenges in reading this book are that firstly, some of the topics and events covered are either dated, or are so particularly French in nature that it it difficult to understand them. In some other cases, the writing style tends toward being too academic, which makes the ideas difficult to grasp.

This is most evident in the final essay wherein Barthes attempts to explain the theory of Semiotics. While probably a very erudite essay, it makes for very difficult reading for someone who is not a student of Semiotics or cultural theory.

All in all this is a very good read. It serves to expand one's horizons by positing a certain way of thinking about the things we see around us which is refreshing and unique.

Fall in love with Damien and Ty. Knowing they were shifters was a game changer for me! Such an emotionally gripping beginning for their story. Both characters had several layers that were powerfully intertwined. You'll get a lot of background on these two while watching their story progress.
Enjoy the intrigue, the mystery, and depth of The Problem Client.


**I received this ARC for my honest feedback.**