Performance degree zero : Roland Barthes and theatre / Timothy Scheie.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Performance Degree Zero offers the first comprehensive account of Barthes's lifelong engagement with theatre and performance and fills a significant gap in Barthes criticism. It is essential reading for all Barthes scholars, theatre historians, and performance theorists.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Barthes (1915-80) did not develop one major idea and then pursue it for the rest of his life. "Exactly what constitutes Barthes' legacy and whether it is commensurate with the star status he enjoyed during his lifetime remain open for debate": this is Scheie's opening and the subject of his book. By the end of the book, Scheie (Eastman School of Music, Univ. of Rochester) manages to explore all of Barthes' work and provide an excellent guide to his major accomplishments. Like Barthes' writing, Scheie's book is not for the beginner, but it does lead the well-prepared reader to many insights. For example, Barthes advocated a kind of theater that would appeal not just to the rich but to theatergoers of all classes--a theater that would bring together all of society, as in his idealized Greece. Scheie also discusses Barthes' homosexuality, which was hidden except in the overriding presence of "the body" that permeated his work, especially toward the end of his life. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty. Q. Grigg emeritus, Hamline University