The Whisper of Language: Collection of Literary Criticism No. 4 Author: [France] Roland Barthes/ [France] Roland Barthes Translator: Huaiyu Publisher: China Renmin University Press

After Barthes' death, his friend, philosopher François Wahl, selected and published "The Whisper of Language" in 1984. This is also the fourth and last part of Barthes' "Collection of Literary Criticism". The book revolves around the concept of "text" and is divided into seven parts: "From Science to Literature", "From Works to Texts", "On Speech Activities and Style", "From Stories to Reality", "Symbol Lovers", "Reading", and "Around Images". It discusses speech activities and literary writing, showing Barthes' consistent writing style.

Roland Barthes is a famous French structuralist literary theorist and cultural critic. His life experience can be roughly divided into three stages: media and cultural criticism period (1947-1962), teaching period at the Institute for Advanced Studies (1962-1976), and lecturer period at the Collège de France (1976-1980). He and existentialist master Sartre were shining in the French literary and ideological circles after World War II, and he is recognized as one of the most outstanding French prose writers since Montaigne.