Barthes 5 Narrative Codes

By Rachael Branker

An Introduction

• It has been suggested by Barthes that in reading a text, the importance is not in the interpretation of the content but rather, in the appreciation of the different elements which makes the story. Barthes presented 5 codes which may be used .

The 5 codes • Hermeneutic / enigma code – The Hermeneutic Code refers to any element of

the story that is not fully explained and hence becomes a mystery to the reader.• Proairetic /action code –The Proairetic Code builds tension, referring to any

other action or event that indicates something else is going to happen, and which hence gets the reader guessing as to what will happen next.

• Semantic code – This code refers to connotation within the story that gives additional meaning over the basic denotative meaning of the word.

• Symbolic code-This is very similar to the Semantic Code, but acts at a wider level, organizing semantic meanings into broader and deeper sets of meaning

• Referential code-This code refers to anything that is founded on some kind of canonical works that cannot be challenged and is assumed to be a foundation for truth

The Enigma and Proairetic Codes

• The Enigma Code is used in the building up of anticipation which is not directly answered but left to the audience to decide on their thoughts on the storyline. The Proairetic code is similar but gives an indication that something else may happen.

• In using this in media, this is often seen as attractive because there is an element of ‘drawing in’ of the audience. To many, the storyline may be evocative of events in their life and in engaging, it may produce more interest. It would be fair to argue that the context of a soap opera fits logically with the enigma code and it is this which maybe accounts for the success of some which have run for 30 years or more.

The Semantic Code• The semantic code is one which to a large extent simplifies a storyline as, by

using connotation, the reader is able to deduce that a course of action may follow. The author uses deeper meanings through the use of less text.

• Whilst this approach is successful in many forms of media, It is arguable as to how successfully this may be used in a soap opera setting and this is due to two considerations:

1. A connotation may vary between readers and may need an element of clarification to make it the same for both. The use of deeper meaning is not directly in line with the idea if a soap opera.

2. In using connotation as a lead tool, this might narrow the audience potential to people who in general think in a similar way.

Symbolic Code• The symbolic code is very similar to the semantic code.Whilst the

semantic code is related directly to the use of connotation, the symbolic code uses the tool of creating new meaning out of opposing or conflicting ideas. This can be seen as a complicated process.

• Whilst this process may be seen as difficult, it can be seen as effective in its use to develop characters in a text by emphasising the differences between them to the reader. It is a tool often used by the writers of soap operas over a period of time to build the importance of different characters in a given storyline.

Referential Code

• The referential code refers to anything in the code that has an existing accepted meaning. This may be scientific, historical, sociological or in any accepted area.

• It may be argued that many forms of modern media include an element of referential coding as it is this that leads to a loyal audience as they recognise their own lives in the text.

Representation of the audience • In looking at Barthes theory of Codes, it may be seen how he developed his

idea of the audience as active. In looking at each piece of media as made up of semiotics (pieces) which may fit together in different ways (structuralism), the audience is able to create different meanings from the same story.

• This is very much in keeping with modern day approaches in which there are very clear accepted principals but there are stimulus used to encourage free thought amongst the audience. This is sometimes controversial.

• The representation of the audience has been explored by many theorists such as Stuart Hall and Laura Mulvey. Whilst they are very different in their focus, they are similar in the way that they recognize how a writer may embed ideas into a text and an audience may pull their own ideas from this.