Empire of Signs

摘要: Now it happens that in this country (Japan),' wrote Barthes, 'the empire of signifiers is so immense, excess speech, the exchange signs remains a fascinating richness mobility and subtlety.' It not voice communicates, but whole body - eyes, smiles, hair, gestures. The savoured, received displays its own narrative, text. Barthes discusses bowing, courtesy which two bodies inscribe do prostrate themselves, why West politeness regarded with suspicion informal relations are though more desired than coded ones. He described progressive Japanese spectacle demeanor worth regard to food: essentially visual denotation coloured state raw flesh or vegetable Sukiyaki tempura. cook's purpose 'to make us witness extreme purity his cuisine; because activity literally graphic.' explains relation between ideographic writing painting; theatrical traditions No, Kabuki Bunraku; pure designation (which abolishes finality) Zen literary expression, haiku; organization space ideal house, propriety ownership never delineated walls slide, partitions fragile there nothing grasp. 'What will be question,' seminal, previously untranslated work, 'will city, shop, theatre; manners, gardens, violence; faces, eyes brushes all written painted.' Translated from French by Richard Howard.