Mythologies (book)
book by Roland Barthes
Mythologies (French: Mythologies) is a 1957 book by Roland Barthes. It contains a collection of fifty-three short essays written between 1954 to 1956, most of which were first published in the French literary review Les Lettres nouvelles. In these essays, Barthes examines the tendency of contemporary social value systems (specifically that of the bourgeoisie) to create modern myths. In the book Barthes also analyzes the semiology of the process of myth creation itself, updating Ferdinand de Saussure's system of sign analysis by adding a second level where signs are elevated to the level of myth.
Mythologies was first published in English in abridged form in 1972. In 2012, Hill & Wang published a new English language edition of the book, Mythologies: The Complete Edition, in a New Translation, translated by Richard Howard (Part I: Mythologies) and Annette Lavers (Part II: Myth Today).
Mythologies
Mythologies is divided into two parts: Mythologies and Myth Today, with the first section consisting of a collection of short essays on selected modern myths, and the second section offering an extended analysis of the concept. Each of the "mythologies" describes a modern cultural phenomena, ranging from "Einstein's Brain" to "Soap Powders and Detergents," chosen for their status as modern myths and for the meaning that has been conferred upon them.
In a typical example, Barthes describes the image that has been built up around red wine and how it has been adopted as a French national drink, how it is seen as a social equaliser and the drink of the proletariat, partly because it is seen as blood-like (as in Holy Communion) and points out that very little attention is paid to red wine's harmful effects to health, but that it is instead viewed as life-giving and refreshing — 'in cold weather, it is associated with all the myths of becoming warm, and at the height of summer, with all the images of shade, with all things cool and sparkling.'
In another chapter, Barthes explores the myth of professional wrestling. Unlike boxing, he writes, the aim of theatrical stunt fighting is not the winner's 'demonstration of excellence'.
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Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1396027. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1957, 1954, 1956 and 1972.
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