Barthes codes

 Action code (Proairetic) - is about something that the viewer knows,however they don't quite understand, therefore further explanation is needed for them to fully understand.

" The proairetic code applies to any action that implies a further narrative action. " - http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratology/modules/barthescodes.html

Enigma code  (Hermeneutic) - is when an element of a story is not fully explained to the audience, keeping it hidden from them to keep them asking questions and raising their curiosity. Holding back details in order to create the biggest possible impact when the full meaning is finally revealed.


"The best example may well be the genre of the detective story. The entire narrative of such a story operates primarily by the hermeneutic code. We witness a murder and the rest of the narrative is devoted to determining the questions that are raised by the initial scene of violence. The detective spends the story reading the clues that, only at the end, reconstructs the story of the murder." - http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratology/modules/barthescodes.html

Semantic code - when what is happening is recognized by the audience through connotation, something is implied to the viewer yet hasn't been revealed directly.

"points to any element in a text that suggests a particular, often additional meaning by way of connotation." - http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratology/modules/barthescodes.html

Symbolic code -  is quite similar to the semantic code, however it differs as the symbolic code has a deeper meaning, it symbolizes a concept.

"this is usually done in the use of antithesis, where new meaning arises out of opposing and conflict ideas." - http://www.slideshare.net/alexdabriel/barthes-codes-theory

Cultural code - where we use our everyday basic knowledge about everyday things that occur within the world.

"physical, physiological, medical, psychological, literary, historical, etc." " The "gnomic" code is one of the cultural codes and refers to those cultural codes that are tied to clichés, proverbs, or popular sayings of various sorts." - http://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/narratology/modules/barthescodes.html