Barthes’ Seven propositions : understanding “From work to Text”

By Kanak Astha

When Roland Barthes came up with his essay ” From work to text”, he increasingly emphasized on interdisciplinary in literary and cultural analysis which in turn becomes an altered conception of language and traditional notion of literary work, where Work has changed and Text has appeared. According to Barthes, Text is “that social space which leaves no language safe, outside, nor any subject of the enunciation in a position as judge, master, analyst, confessor, decoder” ( quoted by Roland Barthes: From Work to Text;1971 ).

Barthes Distinguishes the Text from the Work on the basis of seven propositions:

• Method
  • Work- It is always a definite object which can be displayed, seen or held.
  • Text
    • It is methodological object rather than concrete object
    • It is held only in language
    • It exists in movement of discourses
    • It functions as process of demonstration
    • It is experienced as an activity of production.
• Genre
  • Work- It is restricted by old classifications.
  • Text
    • It functions as subversive and paradoxical force.
    • It cannot be contained in a hierarchy thus text cannot be restricted into traditional categories.
    • It tries to place itself behind the limit of the Doxa ( received opinion ).
    • It also pushes the limits of rationality and readability.

• Signs
  • Work- It is identified as having two levels of meaning : literal ( surface level meaning ) and concealed ( deep level meaning ) making it moderately symbolic
  • Text
    • It can be approached and experienced in reaction of sign
    • Being engaged in a movement, there can be a deferral and dilation of meaning.
    • It is generally radically symbolic and characterized by metonymy logic.
    • Just like Language, Text is de-centered having no closure.

• Plurality
  • Work- It is always singular as symbolic and to be interpreted
  • Text
    • It is always plural in sense of transcending all interpretations ( not because of ambiguity rather because of its inherent infinite nature )
    • It accomplishes the very plural of meaning within a composed web of signification and an intertextuality that has no origin or destination.
• Filiation
  • Work
    • It is defined by a process of filiation and is always identified by its relationship to its owner i.e., Author.
    • Literary science instructs the reader to respect the work and author intentions.
    • Legal system imposes a direct connection of the author to his/her work.
  • Text
    • It is not restricted by its relationship to its author.
    • It never demands any vital respect because it functions as a network that can be broken and thus reading can be done with no consideration of the author.
    • Author becomes a paper author making his/her function more as a guest rather than an owner; ” his life is no longer the origin of his fictions but a fiction contributing to his work”.

• Reading
  • Work- It is a commodity and thus reader consumes work passively rather than producing it actively.
  • Text
    • It escapes trappings of consumption because of its relationship to play, activity, production and practice
    • it compels reader to eliminate the distance between writing and reading which in turn joins the reader and text into single signifying practice.
    • If text is consumed in traditional sense it becomes unbearable and boring, so as long as reader is able to produce the text, he/she will be satisfied.

• Pleasure
  • Work-
    • Reader can have pleasure in reading or re-reading of certain works making this pleasure inextricably linked with/to consumption.
    • Even though the reader has the ability to read the author, reader cannot re-write the work.
  • Text
    • It is linked to Jouissance or delectation making it possible to have pleasure without separation.
    • It is not an object of consumption making it not reliant on the author and reader can write and re-write it.
    • Pleasure arises from Text’s participation in social utopia; it is that space where no language has hold over any other, where language circulates.