end of classweek 2

This week in class we focused on the articles written by De Saussure, Barthes, and Macherey. Each scholar has similar ideas but they phrase them differently, and these differences in phrasing lead to slightly different connotations. De Saussure introduced the ideas of parole and langue. Parole is the use of language, the external manifestation of language. Langue is a system that has a large number of elements and relationships between elements. These ideas spark Macherey and Barthes to further investigate the relationships between the elements of language. Macherey had the idea of a ‘rupture’. “It is this rupture which must be studied” (Macherey 23). Rupture, describes the unsaid or unexposed messages that a in literature. The word rupture gives the connotation that it is caused by something, it is aggressive, and rough. This concept is closely related to Barthes’ idea of the ‘gap’. The gap also speaks of there being more meaning to a piece than what is directly said, but the word itself seems softer, and more natural. These too scholars have similar concepts when discussing the process of critiquing literature/media as well. Both believe that material must be turned inside out in order to completely understand it. Overall, after completing the readings and participating in this week’s class discussions I have drawn a lot of connections between this week’s scholars. All believe that a very important part of a written piece is what is in the shadow, what is not being said. They all affirm that the author does not even completely understand their piece, and that the audience may interpret the work differently. Each agree on the most basic level that language is more than words, but there is important information being relayed in the ‘shadows’ of the piece. What really differentiates these concepts is the choice of words. The specific word usage creates different connotations; therefore, the theories take on different emotions or meanings.

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