I will start with a quotation describing the author:
Roland Barthes (November 12, 1915 – March 25, 1980) (pronounced [ʀɔlɑ̃ baʀt]) was a French literary critic, literary and social theorist, philosopher, and semiotician. Barthes' work extended over many fields and he influenced the development of schools of theory including structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, Marxism and post-structuralism.
Well, I could end my review at that. Barthes had never had anything to do with photography and he admits that himself within the
"Camera Lucida".
His entire intellectual proposition could just as well be about a pudding dessert instead of photography and it would be just as profound for pudding lovers as it is for photographers. He calls himself a 'phenomenologist', but his view of photography is far from encompassing all (or even most important) aspects of the phenomenon known as photography.
Basically, he is using photography as an excuse to exercise his undeniable power over the verbal language to explain his own (extremely personal and selective) perception of a non-verbal phenomenon of photography - despite not being an active creator and being only a vague consumer. His views are completely hermetic - they are
his alone - and they have little or nothing in common with more comprehensive and systematic views of critics and curators of photography. Once in a while, a reader may be able to find the thought he/she may be able to identify with. But should they try to build their perception of photography on those thoughts? Should they even care? I sincerely think not.
As you get to the end of this tiny book (if you get to the end), you may have a faint feeling that the author has said something touching and important about photography. But that something, that could have been said in few paragraphs, has been obfuscated and diluted almost entirely by a flood of redundancy of the language in author's hyperbolic narrative. He is a writer, a linguist after all. He is an unquestionable master of
words, not
images.
This book is about words, language, written expression. Photography just happens to be the vehicle for Barthes' craving for creating literature, and the mirror for his singular (egotistic?) insight into his own sensual world.
So, you may be wondering why am I wasting my time (and yours) to write at length about something that I didn't like? Shouldn't I just write "avoid this book"? No, this book has its loyal admirers. Opinions on this book are diametrically different - from one star to five stars. Therefore, I think it is still worth reading. There is never too much knowledge about the subject that interests us. Opinions are just opinions. You don't have to agree with them and you deserve to develop your own.
