First post

It’s pretty simple - in a big-picture, oversimplifying sort of way. Meaning. That is the subject of inquiry. The construction and deconstruction of signs. In fact, runner-up for the name of this blog was tructionist.com (available by the way, in case anyone’s in the market.)

In a nod to transparency, and to provide fair warning to approach this all with a grain of salt, I offer this disclaimer: I ooze with enthusiasm about literary and cultural theory, but claim no more than a bush league knowledge or experience in either of these fields. Moreover, I realize that semiotics - the study of signs, for other novices - encompasses far more than literature and culture, but at this juncture I would be hard pressed to articulate the breadth of the field.

So, I will first appeal to authority by quoting Johns Hopkins University’s definition of semiotics (they appear to be a bastion of erudition in this area of study), then explain who I am and the crooked path I’ve followed to get here.

Here’s what that esteemed Baltimore bastion of learning has to say of semiotics:

“Semiotics can be defined broadly as a domain of investigation that explores the nature and function of signs as well as the systems and processes underlying signification, expression, representation, and communication. As can be demonstrated from numerous cultural traces (verbal, pictorial, plastic, spatial artifacts, etc.), the constitution of signs, the laws that govern them, and their role in human life have been ongoing concerns over the ages.”

Dry, I know. But the definition hides the vitality of the subject matter. Semiotics is the umbrella term used for the study of how humans make and communicated meaning through novels, poetry, film, political speeches, sign language and Viagra advertisements. We spend our lives in a jungle of messages. Semiotics seeks to understanding the surface of those messages and the subtexts that so often evades our conscious awareness yet still influence us at some deeper level.

My specific interest derives from my profession. I make my living writing, previously as a newspaper reporter, now as a university science writer, and in trying to hone my craft I continue to search out the best conceptual framework for producing powerful writing. After several years of toying with how to best answer that question, I’ve concluded that I’m essentially asking a question about meaning.

Words are units of meaning - signs, in semiotics speak - that elicit a reaction in the mind of the reader. Framed this way, the question become very scientific sounding: How are these units of meaning put together to elicit a desired response from the reader. Again, dry, I know. But posing the question in this way provides entry into fields of theory - literary theory, cultural theory, linquistics, anthropology, computer science, neuroscience etc. - in which the mechanisms and nature of meaning have been well studied.

My intention here is to blend my interest in writing - particularly in the writing of stories, fiction and non-fiction - with these academic fields of study. As I read more on semiotic theory, continue to write and develop my craft, and generally attempt to deconstruct the bombardment of signs I encounter in everyday life, this blog provides a place to ruminate.

Rumination meaning of course to chew slowly, like a cow, with no sense of urgency or direction.