Stanley Fish and Roland Barthes are two of the most well-known and influential literary theorists of the twentieth century. While both scholars have made significant contributions to the field of literary theory and semiotics, their approaches and methodologies join and part ways in various points.
Despite their divergent approaches to literary theory, Fish and Barthes share a mutual agreement regarding the importance of close reading and attention to detail in the interpretation of texts. Both scholars acknowledge the complexity and ambiguity of language and advocate for careful analysis and interpretation as essential tools for understanding the meaning of a text.
Fish, drawing on the principles of New Criticism, emphasizes the significance of the reader's subjective engagement with a text, arguing that meaning is created through the reader's interpretive act (see Reader-Response Theory). On the other hand, Barthes argues that the author's intention is irrelevant to the creation of meaning in a text, and instead, he focuses on the role of the reader in interpreting the text (see Death of the Author). Despite this difference, both scholars underscore the importance of close reading and interpretation.
Both thinker do not only focus on subjective interpretation but also on collective one. This aspect of their work can be found in fish's notion of Interpretive Communities, and in Barthes's work on Myth Today.
Another area of commonality between Fish and Barthes is their recognition of the importance of language and its inherent complexity. Fish argues that language is inherently self-referential and meaning is created through a process of repetition and difference. In contrast, Barthes emphasizes the significance of the signifier and signified in the creation of meaning, arguing that meaning is created through a process of interpretation and decoding. Despite the differences in their approaches to language, both scholars recognize the intricate and multifaceted nature of language and the need for careful analysis and interpretation to understand the meaning of a text.
Despite these differences, Fish and Barthes share a commitment to the importance of close reading and attention to the details of a text. Both scholars recognize the complexity and ambiguity of language, and emphasize the need for careful analysis and interpretation in order to understand the meaning of a text.
See also: Barthes Explained