Certain studies of literature developed along the line of discourse analyses in relation to other genres such as poetry and fiction can be suitably adopted in study of dramatic literature. The famous S/Z, an exemplary study in intertextuality by the noted French structuralist turned post-structuralist Roland Barthes, denotes such viability. In S/Z, Barthes splits Balzac’s text Sarrasine into several ‘lexias’ or units of reading and examines the role played by the different codes in each ‘lexia’. This paper takes up the method of reading adopted by Barthes in relation to the hermeneutic code, one of the five codes discovered by Barthes, and applies it to selected plays of Williams Tennessee with a view to highlighting the ‘readerly’ as well as ‘writerly’ dimension of Williams’ drama. Even though Barthes has clearly noted that the hermeneutic code is one of irreversible codes, accounting mostly for solved enigmas in literary works, it turns out to be a handy tool to single out ‘writerly’ elements as well. The paper first explains the relevant theoretical notions, and later examines the plays of Williams.

Critical studies on dramatic literature have hardly engaged themselves with techniques of reading advanced by ‘discourse analysis’ which is one of the formidable branches of stylistics. Even certain studies of literature along the line of ‘discourse analysis’ emerging in relation to other genres such as poetry and fiction can be suitably adopted in the study of dramatic literature. The famous S/Z, an exemplary study in intertextuality by the noted French structuralist turned post-structuralist Barthes (1974), denotes such viability. In S/Z, Barthes splits Balzac’s text ‘Sarrasine’ into several ‘lexias’ or units of reading and examines the role played by the different codes in each ‘lexia’. This paper takes up the method of reading adopted by Barthes in relation to the hermeneutic code, one of the five codes discovered by Barthes, and applies it to selected plays of Tennessee Williams with a view to highlighting the ‘readerly’ as well as ‘writerly’ dimension of Williams’ drama.

English Studies Journal, Indian English Short Fiction, Bhasha Literatures, Autonomous Forms, Indian Short Story, Indian Language, Montage Patterns, Women Writers, Social Milieu, Postmodernist Movements, Global Communities, Joint Family System, Indian Women Writers.