Abstract
Roland Barthes's fascination with discourse is usually considered a glorification of intellectual exchanges, the parade of a virtuoso eager to display his unalloyed dedication to logocentrism. As a consequence, scholars tend to rely on his writings as if they were principally a catalogue for the functional concepts of modernity.
The purpose of this article is to show through a close reading of Barthes's latter-day texts that his exhilarating verbal brio is first and foremost a sensuous relationship between the speaking subject and the verbal substance. In his case, this particular relationship generates a discourse akin to physical heroism, thanks to which the subject is able to postpone the debilitating irruption of «intractable reality.» Barthes, as writing subject, transforms what is a mere tool of communication and argumentation into an overwhelming sensuous machine producing a symbolic make-believe, which, in turn, makes him «more and better alive.»
Keywords:
- Keyword: Roland Barthes
- Keyword: discourse
- Keyword: intellectualism
- Keyword: logocentrism
- Keyword: modernity
- Keyword: brio
- Keyword: verbal substance
- Keyword: speaking subject
- Keyword: subject
- Keyword: physical heroism
- Keyword: interactable reality
- Keyword: reality
- Keyword: make-believe
- Keyword: alive
How to Cite:
Thomas, J., (1981) “Sensationalism”, Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature 5(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/2334-4415.1106
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