On Roland Barthes'Deconstructive Thoughts

Roland Barthes'works in different periods obviously have different focuses of exploration. Researchers on western literary theory usually label him as "Existentialist", "Structuralist"and "Deconstructionist"by his different research methods or application of theories. Therefore, Roland Barthes has been regarded as one of the most important French structuralists, and one of the pioneering deconstructionists as well. However, if we change our perspective of research on him, and take all his focuses in his different works into consideration, a new conclusion would be arrived at: his research and exploration has been conducted for the deconstruction of major elements of the text through all his academic life: style (Writing Degree Zero), words (Elements of Semiology), authorship (The Death of the Author) and textuality (S/Z). The major destination of deconstruction includes: "anti-authority"and "decentralization". According to deconstructive theory, "authority"is constructed with "history"and "meaning". Both history and meaning directly or indirectly are constructed with the text. The success in the deconstruction of authority lies in the success in the deconstruction of the text. And the success in the deconstruction of the text depends on the success in meaning-dispersing and negating specific meaning of the text. Only the deconstruction of structure and "structuration"could stimulate the deconstruction of meaning and authority. Obviously, Roland Barthes attempts to deconstruct the text through the deconstruction of different major elements of the text. Based on the analysis of four of his major works, the thesis attempts to approach Roland Barthes'deconstructive thoughts and prove the consistency in his exploration and research on the deconstruction of text throughout his academic life. The thesis consists of five parts. The first part, Introduction, briefs the historical causes of the synchronic-to-diachronic approach shift of modern western thinkers, and the general features of deconstruction. It also points out the general "misreading"of Roland Barthes, the major contemporary western thinker, and introduces the significance of the thesis: attempting to correct the misreading by the analysis of his deconstructive thoughts. The second part of the thesis overviews Roland Barthes'academic research and exploration in his different academic periods. The brief introduction and analysis of his academic achievements demonstrates that the general research on his works ignores or pays little attention to the connection and consistency of his academic exploration in different periods. The third part illustrates Roland Barthes'exploration and research on the deconstruction of the text through the analysis of his major works; his deconstruction of the text is conducted through the deconstruction of some major elements of the text: style (Writing Degree Zero), words (Elements of Semiology), authorship (The Death of the Author), textuality (S/Z). The fourth part briefly analyses, taking The Death of the Author as example, the influence of Roland Barthes'deconstructive thoughts on the "world of author-text-reader": The Death of the Author brings the rebirth and freedom of traditional readers, but the freely "writerly"reading in S/Z also endangers the world of author-text-reader. The last part, Conclusion, states: though Roland Barthes adopts or employs different research methods or theories in his different works in different periods, and these works seem unrelated with each other, all of his exploration and research has been moving towards the deconstruction of the text, and the deconstructive destination: "anti-authority"and "decentralization"by dispersing meanings and the structure of the text.