Roland Barthes' most famous collection of essays reveals a mind convinced that everything is connected and that the only way to unearth those connections is through beautiful prosaic meditation on everyday objects and phenomena.

I have some conflicting feelings on this one. I liked the world this is set in and the way the author related new information to the reader when it was needed, instead of info-dumping a lot of information at the beginning, and I liked the friendships between Damien and his co-workers, though I could have used a bit more of them spending time together.

Unfortunely the romance aspect was seriously lacking. It felt like all the romance happened off-screen, and I really wasn't rooting for Damien and Ty to get together. In fact, at one point in the story I was completely convinced that Kaz was actually end game.

I probably won't be reading any other books in the series.

gotta love Roland Barthes.

“This book has two determinants: on the one hand, an ideological critique of the language of so-called mass culture; on the other, an initial semiological dismantling of that language: I had just read Saussure and emerged with the conviction that by treating “collective representations” as sign systems one might hope to transcend pious denunciation and instead account in detail for the mystification which transforms petit bourgeois culture into a universal nature.”

This is probably a great entry for anyone looking to better understand the concept of dialectics and dialectical materialism in a somewhat easy to explain manner.

It's the association of philosophical ideas with the everyday that makes Mythologies so approachable and also so poignant. Barthes doesn't position his ideas up in the clouds but down on earth, showing how the method used to sell margarine, for example, can illuminate how the mind may be manipulated by social organs such as the army or the church; how the seemingly trivial language used to promote laundry detergent is actually a sophisticated series of symbols designed to elicit specific connotations.

These connotations can be contradictory, and Barthes is continually reminding us that contradictions are the stuff of life, that symbols and signs can be used to mean one thing in this context and another in that - or sometimes both at the same time, depending on the audience.

It is an absolute stroke of genius to start with 'The World of Wrestling.' It is humorous but also clearly shows the essence of semiotics. Taking such a familiar form and analysing the symbolic meaning of wrestling's gestures and actions is both amusing and thought provoking, enough to make even someone like me who disdains the sport consider what such popular entertainment can tell us more generally about the usage of signs and symbols. Perhaps I should watch Love Island with this perspective in mind?