Empire of Signs
Book description
Now it happens that in this country (Japan),' wrote Barthes, 'the empire of signifiers is so immense, so in excess of speech, that the exchange of signs remains of a fascinating richness mobility and subtlety.' It is not the voice that communicates, but the whole body - eyes, smiles, hair,…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Empire of Signs as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Philosopher Roland Barthes visited Japan in the 1960s when it had rebuilt and reinvented itself as a global economic power. Empire of Signs, which he published a few years later, is a profound, yet entertaining reflection on “otherness” and how it helps us see ourselves. I read the slim volume – in the original French – in the plane that took me to Tokyo for the first time. It was a revelation and has inspired me ever since to look for the myriads of little things that fascinate and contradict all preconceived ideas. The book is a wonderful and…
From Nadine's list on Japan’s postwar years.
This book is probably the reason I’ve lived in Tokyo for two decades and counting. It analyzes the symbolic structures that underlie the experience of the city. Without any grounding in the Japanese language, French literary theorist Barthes descended on Japan and started contemplating the meanings of the “signs” he encountered. Instead of academic blather, though, he spun out short, intense, and reflective writings, each a couple of pages long. It’s the diary-like reflections of a literary scholar meeting a meaning-laden city. I find his symbolic reading of bits and pieces of Japanese culture a fresh, fascinating approach to finding…
From Michael's list on Tokyo’s essence.
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