Mythologies (book)

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For the general meaning of the word, see mythology.

Mythologies is the title of a book by Roland Barthes (ISBN 0-374-52150-6), published in 1957. It is a collection of essays examining the tendency of contemporary social value systems to create modern myths. Barthes also looks at the semiology of the process of myth creation, updating Ferdinand de Saussure's system of sign analysis by adding a second level where signs are elevated to the level of myth. It is considered to be a key antecedent of cultural studies.

In writing about the process of mythologization, Barthes refers to the tendency of socially constructed notions, narratives, and assumptions to become "naturalized", that is, taken unquestioningly as given within a particular culture.

The work of Claude Lévi-Strauss should also be considered in this context.