Barthes Theory

Barthe believes that there are 5 action codes that enable and audience to make sense of a narrative.

• HERENEUTIC (narrative turning points) We know where the story will go next.
• PROAIRETIC (Basic narrative actions) E.g. Detective interviews, suspect of femme fatale suduces hero (see Propp's 31 functions)
• CULTURAL (Prior social knowledge) E.g. Our attitude to gender and racial stereotypes.
• SEMIC (Medium - related code) Intertextuality.
•  SYMBOLIC (Themes) Iconography or a theme such a 'image versus reality' (Curtis Hanson)