On Meaning-Making: Essays in Semiotics

by Mieke Bal

Bal (theory of literature, U. of Amsterdam) addresses basic questions in semiotics, the theory of signs, in this companion piece to her earlier book, On Story Telling . She explores the continuity between semiotics and narratology, the semioticized subject and its link with visual art, semiotic issues for art historians, and the relations between literature and visual art and between discourse and image. Contains a few b&w illustrations. Lacks an index. Published by Polebridge Press, 19678 Eighth St. East, Sonoma, CA, 95476. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

314 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1994

About the author

Mieke Bal is a Dutch literary theorist, cultural and art historian.

Areas of interest range from biblical and classical antiquity to 17th century and contemporary art and modern literature, feminism and migratory culture. Her many publications include A Mieke Bal Reader (2006), Travelling Concepts in the Humanities (2002) and Narratology (4th edition 2017). Her view of interdisciplinary analysis in the Humanities and Social Sciences is expressed in the profile of what she has termed “cultural analysis”, the basis of ASCA. See the video clip on the right side of this page, where I explain the approach.

Mieke is also a video artist, her internationally exhibited documentaries on migration include Separations, State of Suspension, Becoming Vera and the installation Nothing is Missing and are part of the Cinema Suitcase collective. With Michelle Williams Gamaker she made the feature film A Long History of Madness, a theoretical fiction about madness, and related exhibitions (2012). Her following project Madame B: Explorations in Emotional Capitalism, also with Michelle, is exhibited worldwide. She just finished a feature film and 5-screen installation on René Descartes and his infelicitously ending friendship with Queen Kristina of Sweden.

Occasionally she acts as an independent curator. Her co-curated exhibition 2MOVE travelled to four countries. She is currently preparing an exhibition for the Munch museum in Oslo.