✅ 1 – Structuralism
Structuralism is a theory that says every text
has an underlying structure. We understand meaning by studying the system of language (not just the author or history).
Language as a system – Words get meaning by their relation to other words, not by themselves.-
Influence of Linguistics – Developed from Ferdinand de Saussure’s ideas.
-
Concept of Binary Oppositions – Example: good/evil, life/death, male/female – meaning is created by differences.
-
Focus – Not on the author, but on structure, language, and signs.
Imp Terms
-
Sign = Signifier (word) + Signified (concept)
-
Langue (language system) vs. Parole (individual speech)
-
Structure = underlying rules that organize meaning
Main Critics
-
Ferdinand de Saussure – Founder (linguistics)
-
Claude Lévi-Strauss – Applied structuralism to anthropology
-
Roland Barthes – In literature, “Death of the Author” concept
-
Roman Jakobson – Russian Formalist turned structuralist
Ex
If you read a story like Cinderella, structuralists focus on:
-
Roles (hero, villain, helper)
-
Binary opposites (good/evil, rich/poor)
-
Repeated patterns in many stories (myths, fairy tales)
Structuralism studies the deep structures and language systems that shape meaning in texts, focusing on signs, differences, and binary oppositions, not the author.
.png)