Scheda Articolo

“Questo non è un trattato”. Forme e generi della manualistica semiotica / “This is not a Trattato”. Forms and Genres of the Handbooks of Semiotics

in Versus n. 121, Rileggere un classico: il Trattato di semiotica generale 40 anni dopo / Rereading a classic: Trattato di semiotica generale 40 years later, pp.11-25

Abstract (italiano)

What is a Trattato? What are its textual forms? And what are its communicative purposes ? Although there are many books in the world that introduce semiotics, Eco’s “Trattato di semiotica generale” is the only one that uses, in his title, this philosophical term.
Analyzing the Preface to the book, it is clear that the Trattato might actually serve as a theoretical essay. Analyzing instead its argumentative structure, we realize that the general tone of the book is narrative.