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.