Perspective

The author of Mythologies was a prominent exponent of the science of semiology, the analysis of signs and symbols, and of their relationships with culture and society. His authorial perspective, therefore, is essentially scientific in its approach—analytical, intellectual, dispassionate, and objective. Rarely, if ever, does his writing in Mythologies either display emotional sensibility or evoke emotion in the reader. This point is not made to suggest that his analysis is invalid. On the contrary—the theses he presents in the book, about the ways myth is used and manipulated, are as valid when considering contemporary popular culture as they were when his writings were first published (the mid 1950's). There is the sense, however, that the author is either unaware of, deliberately avoiding, or ignoring any emotional or spiritual resonances of myth and meaning. In other words, his perspective is clear but short sighted, detailed...