The Code of S/Z

In starring the text, I will highlight three semiotic and semantic phenomena that permeate Barthes’ text. Since I am not equipped (or bold enough) to identify a code applicable to all language, I will instead identify a Code of S/Z. Perhaps the most obvious of these phenomena is the ISE.

This "code," is aptly named, since another important phenomenon prevalent in S/Z is Barthes' tendency to describe literature, authorship, and reading as digitized functions. Text becomes the interface for interpretation, readers become the users, words begin to take on binary qualities, etc. This insinuation of a digital mindset within the text's vocabulary and structure lends itself to Barthes' descriptive prowess and strengthens the logic of his arguments. To identify this phenomenon, I will use the symbol (DIG).