Lit Theory - Kristeva

Julia Kristeva

1.     Revolution of Poetic Language

2.     Traditional idea of semiotic is as a sign.  A mark, index, imprint or other symbol that implies meaning.

3.     Chora is the pre lingual stage of development.

4.     Chora is significant in that it provides interpretation without knowledge of language constructs or their corresponding social meaning.

5.     However, social organization is symbolic and affects the chora through ordering, as opposed to symbolic law.

6.     The realness of objects, or kinetic sensations, influences ordering more so than mental constructs of the objects and predates language for the child.

7.     Humans operate by drives.  Those biological and mental things that move us to action and out of stasis.

8.     The first drives are kinetic. Again, symbolism is in the form of real tactile experiences.

9.     Semiotic representations start with kinetic motivators.

10.  Phenotext – That which represents language serving to communicate.

11.  Genotext – The process that allow interpretation of signs.   It is not language itself, but the mechanism that provides possible meanings to the things we see.

Works Cited

Kristeva, Julia. Revolution of Poetic Language. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism.  Ed. Vincent B. Leitch et al.  2^nd ed. New York: W.W.Norton & Co., 2010.  2067-2083. Print.