The Term Structuralism

382. Structuralism The term Structuralism first appeared in a 1928 paper by ROMAN JACOBSON and I. TYNIANOV. Basically, inauguration of the movement was done by LEVI STARUSS. Structuralism started in 1950s in France and went at the top level in 1960. This intellectual movement was in vogue in 1970s. Structuralism, in fact, was born from the linguistics of FERDINAND DE SAUSSURE. SAUSSURE wrote COURSE IN GENERAL LINGUISTICS (1915). Structuralism is a distinct way of thinking about the world. It is related to the perceptions and description of structures. Three basic notions were developed by SAUSSURE in his Course lecture during1907-11: 1. Lague and parole, 2. Arbitrary relationship between signifier and signified, 3. Need to define linguistic entities rationally. The Russian linguist ROMAN JACOBSON linked structuralism to the 20th century. According to SAUSSURE, sign is made up of signified and signifier, and there is an arbitrary relationship between them. SAUSSURE thinks that language has only differences. There are no positive terms, because language is a play of difference. The play is played by differal and

BARTHES defines it as ‘the structure is actually a simulacrum of the object.’ PIAGET defines structure as ‘a system of transformation’. Structuralism only believed in systems, for example, literary system. The system of beliefs and nations are called ‘conventions’. To make literary criticism objective and scientific discipline, structuralists insist on searching structures of literature. Also, they focus on shaping of that system. The structuralists analyse a work to find out its meaning. Structuralist criticism cannot connect a work to a structure in the literary system, because there is no such well-defined structure or system. It functions in two ways: dissecting a work of art and finding out and giving definition of the underlying structures. So, the criticism begins as a confrontation with a particular work, isolates the deep structures and progresses and ends with defining the principles of making the