U NET : NET SET PHD EXAM

  ✅  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 stru...