I am struggling with an essay assignment. I have been asked to compare two buildings of different architectural styles (I have chosen classic modernist vs. post modernist) which is reasonably easy - but I have to make appropriate use of ideas and theories (critical models) such as denotation/connotation and myth, binary opposition, intertextuality, Marshall McLuhan theory etc. I am a scientist by training and this is alien to me!! I am struggling to find which models would be suitable for this - most seem more appropriate for describing/comparing texts, photos, film etc. Can anyone enlighten me? Many Thanks.
You could try reading Roland Barthes's book Mythologies, where you will find Semiotic theory applied to many things, such as margarine, soap, the films of Charlie Chaplin and wrestling.
Denotation/connotation should be quite straightforward to apply to architecture.
Also, do a search on "Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics", in which a playful physicist takes the proverbial out of some "critical thinkers"... |
