Structuralism

Structuralism is primarly concerned with how meaning is produced through structure of texts. i.e Films and Literature. For example, horror films have the same codes and conventions more or less which helps create meaning. Structuralists believe that it is these underlying codes and conventions that make meaning possible.

It first arose in the 1950's and 1960's influenced by Ferdinand de Strausse's theory of language. He believed that language and words had to be seen in the larger context and structure of things rather than in their isolatation. That the meaning of words are atrributed to their 'surroundings' and created by the words that are simply associated with them and the words that surround them. Individual words relate to other words and create larger structures. They are defined by conventions that already exist, there is no connection between the word and what it designates. Therefore, the meaning of words are relational - the definition of any given word depends upon its isolation of other words. Meaning is always atrributed to the object or idea by the human mind and constructed by and expressed through language, it is not already contained within the thing.