Iles d Imesli
Volume 12, Numéro 1, Pages 23-35
2020-12-31

A Structural Approach To D. H. Lawrence’s: The Lovely Lady: Application Of Roland Barthes’ Five Codes

Authors : Benadla Djamel .

Abstract

ABSTRACT Structuralism, in a broader sense, is a new school of thoughts emerged from linguistics and language theories. However, in literature Structuralism is a constant movement which attempts to schematize literary works not in an isolated context, but rather in a system of related structures. This article attempts to apply Roland Barthes’ structural theory of five codes on The Lovely Lady (1933), a short story by D.H. Lawrence so as analyze the meanings implied behind the codes. The present article intends to discuss the application of the five codes as theorized by Barthes on the structure of the story as the current analysis of the literary text shows that it is deeply enmeshed in the Barthisian five basic codes: the hermeneutic, proairetic, semantic, symbolic and cultural codes. The researcher, then, attempts to analyze the five codes that are hidden in the actions, words and images of the character. In a typical feature of Lawrence’s style of short story writing, “The Lovely Lady” starts with an enigma, full of suspense where several elements stand for connotative meaning. Increasingly, binary oppositions (symbolic code) play a central role in the structure of the story. The theme and structure of the story rests on the idea of difference or binary oppositions. The study concludes that the author has created a fine balance in the story through the contrasting personalities of Pauline (The lovely Lady), Cecilia (the niece), and Robert (the son). Their opposing nature, viewpoints, cultures and their perception of reality as opposed to the actual reality provide the basic structure and content to the story.

Keywords

Barthes ; codes ; hermeneutic ; lawrence ; narrative ; oppositions ; structuralism