Roland Barthes (1915-1980) was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician whose work has been central to the delineation and development of numerous schools of theory, including structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, social theory, Marxism, anthropology, and post-structuralism. His books include The Preparation of the Novel: Lecture Courses and Seminars at the College de France (1978-1979 and 1979-1980); The Neutral: Lecture Course at the College de France (1977-1978); Mythologies; S/Z; A Lover's Discourse; and Camera Lucida. Kate Briggs is the translator of Roland Barthes's The Preparation of the Novel: Lecture Courses and Seminars at the College de France (1978-1979 and 1979-1980).

• Foreword Preface Translator's Preface Session of January 12 INTRODUCTION Method? (Method. Culture) - Fantasy - My fantasy: idiorrhythmy - Monarchism Session of January 19 INTRODUCTION (continued) Works - Greek network - Traits AKEDIA / AKEDIA Session of January 26 ANACHORESIS / ANACHORESIS Historically - Metaphorically ANIMAUX / ANIMALS 1. Robinson Crusoe (Phases. History) - 2. Anachorites ATHOS / ATHOS History - Space Session of February 2 ATHOS / ATHOS (continued) Way of Life - Ownership - Power AUTARCHIE / AUTARKY BANC / SCHOOL BEGUINAGES / BEGUINAGES History - Space - Way of Life - Socio-Economics - Power - Conclusion Session of February 9 BUREAUCRATIE / BUREAUCRACY CAUSE / CAUSE Christianity - Other sorts of Telos - Bion - Homeostasis CHAMBRE / ROOM 1. The total space Session of February 16 CHAMBRE / ROOM (continued) 2. The room becomes isolated within the house - 3. The room loses its association with the couple ? Cella - The Magnificenza CHEF / CHIEF Session of March 2 CLOTURE / ENCLOSURE Functions (Protection. Definition) - Extreme-experience COLONIE D'ANACHORETES / COLONY OF ANACHORITES 1. Qumran sect - 2. Monks of Nitria - 3. Carthusians - 4. The Solitaires of Port-Royal Session of March 9 COUPLAGE / PAIRING 1. Principle of pairing - 2. Two examples of strong pairing (Lausaic History DISTANCE / DISTANCE DOMESTIQUES / SERVANTS 1. Need = Desire - 2. Need ? Desire Session of March 16 ECOUTE / HEARING Territory and hearing - Repression and hearing EPONGE / SPONGE EVENEMENT / EVENT FLEURS / FLOWERS IDYLLIQUE / IDYLL Session of March 23 MARGINALITES / MARGINALITIES First margin: coenobitism - Second margin: idiorrhythmy MONOSIS / MONOSIS One / Two - The desire for Two - In praise of One NOMS / NAMES Nicknames Session of March 30 NOMS / NAMES (continued) Caritatism - No Name NOURRITURE / FOOD 1. Rhythms - 2. The foods themselves (the divisions of the forbidden: what's forbidden / what's tolerated). The connotations of food Session of April 20 PROXEMIE / PROXEMICS The notion - The lamp - The bed RECTANGLE / RECTANGLE Civilization of the rectangle - The frame - Subversions? REGLE / RULE Regula - Territory - Rule and Custom - Rule and Law Session of April 27 SALETE / DIRTINESS Noteworthy - Meaning - Tact XENITIA / XENITIA Semantic network - False image - Dereality - Conclusion Session of May 4 UTOPIE / UTOPIA BUT WHAT ABOUT METHOD? 1. Traits. Figures. Boxes - 2. Classification - 3. Digression - 4. Opening a dossier - 5. The supporting-text WHAT IS IT TO HOLD FORTH? RESEARCH ON INVESTED SPEECH Seminar Session of January 12 HOLDING FORTH "So Session of March 23 CHARLUS-DISCOURSE 1. Kinetics - 2. Triggers Session of March 30 CHARLUS-DISCOURSE (continued) 3. Allocutionary authority (Andromache. Charlus-Discourse) - 4. Forces ("Psychology." "Psychoanalysis." Intensities) - To take my leave and fix a new appointment SUMMARY NOTES GLOSSARY OF GREEK TERMS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX NOMINUM INDEX RERUM

This is Roland Barthes at his inventive and idiosyncratic best: a brilliant and suggestive reader, both of literary texts and the social, psychic, and affective spaces of everyday life. -- Diana Knight, University of Nottingham