Pleasure of the Text

«Pleasure of the Text» (1973) — an essay by French philosopher, literary critic, and semiotician Roland Barthes, in which he examines in detail the relationships between the text, the reader, and the pleasure of reading. Building on Lacanian psychoanalysis, the... author contrasts two kinds of pleasures from the text — through the concepts of plaisir («pleasure») and jouissance («enjoyment») — and divides texts into «readable» and «writerly». According to Barthes, the meaning of the text is not fixed, and in reading, each reader brings their own experience and interpretations, allowing for a multiplicity of meanings. This work challenges views on authorship and pays special attention to the subjectivity of the reader, emphasizing their role in creating the meaning of the text.