Structuralism and semiology are perhaps the most significant systems of study have developed this century; they are now central to an astonishing range of fields and disciplines. This book provides an intelligent critical survey of the genesis of that area of the semiological discourse that we have come to know in Britain, in particular the contribution of Saussure, the structuralism of Lévi-Strauss and the decisive shifts achieved by Roland Barthes in the ensuing developments.