Barthes' rhetoric

Disciplines > Rhetoric > Barthes' rhetoric

Roland Barthes explored rhetoric through the lens of semiotics and the study of images. He wrote that rhetoric is "a technique, an art in the classical sense of the word, the art of persuasion."

Metabolas

Metabolas is based in the substitution of one expression for another, for example as in metaphor and metonymy.

Any word has complex cultural connotations and when one word is substituted for another, the replacing word brings a host of ideas and alternative meaning, inviting the listener to replace the original word's meaning, at least in part, with these new concepts.

In practice, when a person hears a substitution, they may well be initially confused and hence actively seek new meaning in order to keep what is said within the bounds of understanding and thus comfort.

Parataxes

Parataxes is based on management and modification of the relationship between items in a phrase or sentence, for example changing things around or adding new emphasis.

A sentence is a complex package of meaning that has accepted grammatical form and structure. When this is modified in novel ways, again the listener must think about what new meaning is being presented or implied.

Barthes' rhetoric

Metabolas

Parataxes

See also