As I was browsing the shelves in my library, I came across this collections of short essays, most running 3-4 pages, with only a few longer. I was not familiar with Roland Barthes prior to this, and thought it would be interesting to read these brief pieces about French culture, history, art, theater, and more. I have to admit that, for the most part, I came away disappointed. Barthes' essay topics were fairly obscure (to me, anyway) and for the most part didn't catch my interest. One essay stood out to me: "Billy Graham at the Vel' d'Hiv'." It included Barthes' observations about Graham's speech and compared him to a stage hypnotist, basically no better than a carnival barker. The essay includes this line: "If God is really speaking through Dr. Graham's mouth, it must be acknowledged that God is quite stupid: the Message stuns us by its platitude, its childishness." I suppose it's not surprising that the one essay which I appreciated was the only one in the book that discussed a topic and person with whom I'm familiar. This book is also good for challenging one's (or at least my) vocabulary.
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