Roland Barthes and the Chinese wall

In 1974, Roland Barthes and an intellectual group linked to the French magazine Tel Quel visit China of Mao Zedong. During the three weeks he spent in the country, Barthes takes note of everything he sees and hears, as well as what he thinks and feels. These notes became public in 2009 with the publ...

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Main Author: Laura Brandini
Format: Article
Language:Portuguese
Published: Universidade Federal Fluminense 2017-08-01
Series:Gragoatá
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.gragoata.uff.br/index.php/gragoata/article/view/745
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author Laura Brandini
author_facet Laura Brandini
author_sort Laura Brandini
collection DOAJ
description In 1974, Roland Barthes and an intellectual group linked to the French magazine Tel Quel visit China of Mao Zedong. During the three weeks he spent in the country, Barthes takes note of everything he sees and hears, as well as what he thinks and feels. These notes became public in 2009 with the publication in France of his Travels in China showing a bored writer, imprisoned by the political discourse that sterilizes the literary writing. Unlike his fellows, who stand for or against the Maoist regime in books and articles published when they return to France, Barthes writes a short and entirely neutral text, “So, what about China?”, a reflection on the pale colors he saw and the weak tea he tasted, disengaging from what for him was the real trap, the polarity that fixes oneself in a crystallized position for or against, forcing a political commitment in the name of a doxa. This article tells the story of that journey and analyzes the barthesian texts originated from it, wondering about the relationship between Barthes and the foreign country.   --- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.2017n43a745.
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spelling doaj.art-28465b95a2f4466880b71151511990962022-12-22T00:54:42ZporUniversidade Federal FluminenseGragoatá1413-90732358-41142017-08-01224363665510.22409/gragoata.2017n43a745551Roland Barthes and the Chinese wallLaura Brandini0Universidade Estadual de LondrinaIn 1974, Roland Barthes and an intellectual group linked to the French magazine Tel Quel visit China of Mao Zedong. During the three weeks he spent in the country, Barthes takes note of everything he sees and hears, as well as what he thinks and feels. These notes became public in 2009 with the publication in France of his Travels in China showing a bored writer, imprisoned by the political discourse that sterilizes the literary writing. Unlike his fellows, who stand for or against the Maoist regime in books and articles published when they return to France, Barthes writes a short and entirely neutral text, “So, what about China?”, a reflection on the pale colors he saw and the weak tea he tasted, disengaging from what for him was the real trap, the polarity that fixes oneself in a crystallized position for or against, forcing a political commitment in the name of a doxa. This article tells the story of that journey and analyzes the barthesian texts originated from it, wondering about the relationship between Barthes and the foreign country.   --- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.2017n43a745.http://www.gragoata.uff.br/index.php/gragoata/article/view/745Roland Barthes. China. História Literária. Política.
spellingShingle Laura Brandini
Roland Barthes and the Chinese wall
Gragoatá
Roland Barthes. China. História Literária. Política.
title Roland Barthes and the Chinese wall
title_full Roland Barthes and the Chinese wall
title_fullStr Roland Barthes and the Chinese wall
title_full_unstemmed Roland Barthes and the Chinese wall
title_short Roland Barthes and the Chinese wall
title_sort roland barthes and the chinese wall
topic Roland Barthes. China. História Literária. Política.
url http://www.gragoata.uff.br/index.php/gragoata/article/view/745
work_keys_str_mv AT laurabrandini rolandbarthesandthechinesewall