The Concept Of Myth In The Roland Barthes’ Book “Mythology”

Roland Barthes (19th century French philosopher) is a scholar on Structuralism Post-Structuralism Semiotics. In his book Mythology He introduced the concept and two examples of myths: The Blue Guide, and French Toys. In order to better understand Myth, you must first examine these examples. The Myth consists of the connotation. Meaning is the second layer of understanding.

The Blue Guide’s first meaning is that it is a tourism book. Nevertheless, Barthes argues that this book is “an instrument of blindness”. The mythology of the guide gives the impression that the Spanish are a state of being. They do not portray the culture of the people or the way they live in their daily lives. The guide uses the people as a type, and the guide is a propaganda tool of the old-fashioned bourgeoisie. It turns the history of nature into the Spanish society.

French Toys is another example. The object represents a miniature version of life in which children can engage. Second, this toy is embedded with a connotation of adulthood. It’s a way of preparing children for the future and teaching them about adulthood.

This is why the Myth on the toy has been naturalized to become a part and parcel of children’s everyday life, thereby preparing them for their adult responsibilities. Another example of a Myth can be found in the Dutch character “Swart Piet”. This folklore character was first described in Jan Schenkman’s book, “Sint Nikolaas en zijn knecht”, in English Saint Nicholas and His Servant.

There is some controversy surrounding this discussion. Some people believe that “Swartpiet” is a brilliant sidekick, an intelligent kid’s tail, that assists Saint Nicholas. However, the opposite is true. The connotation layer is another level. Other people see this character as racist, demeaning and underestimating the image and culture of blacks. We can also understand that Myth, or connotation is the second understanding level that is attached to an object. The three examples shown above reveal the level of connotation that is attached to each context.