Semiotics: The Basics (Paperback)

~ (Author) "We seem as a species to be driven by a desire to make meanings: above all, we are surely Homo significants - meaning-makers..." (more)
Key Phrases: analogue oppositions, narrowcast codes, analogue signs, Roland Barthes, Jacques Lacan, Roman Jakobson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

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–Donald J. Cunningham, Indiana University

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–Guy Cook, University of Reading

It is no small task to present semiotics in a manner that makes it accessible to the beginning student, and Chandler achieves this, describing difficult concepts clearly and thoroughly.

Product Description

Following the successful Basics format, this is the book for anyone coming to semiotics for the first time. Using jargon-free language and lively, up-to-date examples, Semiotics: The Basics demystifies this highly interdisciplinary subject. Along the way, the reader will find out:
* What is a sign?
* Which codes do we take for granted?
* What is a text?
* How can semiotics be used in textual analysis?
* Who were Saussure, Peirce, Barthes and Jakobson - and why are they important?
Features include a glossary of key terms and realistic suggestions for further reading. There is also a highly-developed and long-established online version of the book at: www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (August 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415351111
• ISBN-13: 978-0415351119
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #757,375 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offering Basics without being simplistic., August 28, 2002

By	patron (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Semiotics: The Basics (The Basics) (Paperback)

'Semiotics: the Basics' is remarkable for its clarity but never simplistic. From Saussure to Barthes, from Peirce to Eco, from Freud to Lacan and Derrida, Daniel Chandler offers a compelling and deeply insightful tour through the labyrinths of structuralism, sign systems, mediation, deconstruction, and other themes. Chandler delivers an essential summary of the major ideas in semiotics theory, but with careful sensitivity to those who are new to these ideas. His explanations are rich with examples. Where appropriate, he relates classical semiotics thinking to the highly mediated, postmodern world of mass communication. Chandler's online 'Semiotics for Beginners' has become the most often referred electronic text on the subject. 'Semiotics: the Basics' will undoubtely become a standard introductory text in undergraduate courses covering any aspect of contemporary communication theory.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Among Many, October 2, 2002

By	"hicharlie2001" (Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Semiotics: The Basics (The Basics) (Paperback)

Daniel Chandler decided to write this book because at the time there were no books providing an introduction to the complex subject of semiotics. There are now a number of titles on the market, but Chandler's is by far the best. At once accessible, Semiotics: The Basics, takes the reader through all the stages in the evolution of an understanding of semiotics and contextualises with clear examples. I used this book while writing my final undergraduate dissertation and had to read many of the other books on semiotics, but this is the book that I kept coming back to when I needed refreshing both in the basics and the more sophisticated concepts of semiotics. If you are an undergraduate just starting a course in semiotics then buy this book. And if you are about to teach a course in semiotics then read this book and recommend it to your students.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Offering Basics without being simplistic., August 28, 2002

By	patron (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Semiotics: The Basics (The Basics) (Paperback)

'Semiotics: the Basics' is remarkable for its clarity but never simplistic. From Saussure to Barthes, from Peirce to Eco, from Freud to Lacan and Derrida, Daniel Chandler offers a compelling and deeply insightful tour through the labyrinths of structuralism, sign systems, mediation, deconstruction, and other themes. Chandler delivers an essential summary of the major ideas in semiotics theory, but with careful sensitivity to those who are new to these ideas. His explanations are rich with examples. Where appropriate, he relates classical semiotics thinking to the highly mediated, postmodern world of mass communication. Chandler's online 'Semiotics for Beginners' has become the most often referred electronic text on the subject. 'Semiotics: the Basics' will undoubtely become a standard introductory text in undergraduate courses covering any aspect of contemporary communication theory.