![]() | The Fate of Meaning: Charles Peirce, Structuralism, and Literature Subjects: Literature -- Philosophy; Hermeneutics; Meaning (Psychology); Peirce Charles S. (Charles Sanders) 1839–1914 -- Influence; Semiotics and literature; This succinct and lucid study examines the thought of the philosopher Charles Peirce as it applies to literary theory and shows that his concept of the sign can give us a fresh understanding of literary art and criticism. John Sheriff analyzes the treatment of determinate meaning and contends that as long as we cling to a notion of language that begins with Saussure's dyadic definition of signs, meaning cannot be treated as such any more than can essence or presence. Asserting that Peirce's less familiar position offers a way out of this difficulty, Sheriff first discusses the Saussurean-based theory of meaning and then argues for the advantages of the radically different triadic theory developed by Peirce. |
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