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Social Science Media Studies

The Quest for Meaning

A Guide to Semiotic Theory and Practice, Second Edition

by (author) Marcel Danesi

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Aug 2020
Category
Media Studies, Semiotics & Theory, General
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780802095145
    Publish Date
    Jun 2007
    List Price
    $32.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802093684
    Publish Date
    Jun 2007
    List Price
    $58.00
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487504854
    Publish Date
    Aug 2020
    List Price
    $88.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781487523510
    Publish Date
    Sep 2020
    List Price
    $38.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487531034
    Publish Date
    Sep 2020
    List Price
    $29.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

Dating back to antiquity, semiotics is both a "technique" and a "science" that aims to understand the nature of meaning. An academic discipline in its own right, semiotics uses signs, such as words and symbols, to think, communicate, reflect, transmit, and preserve knowledge.

 

Since the initial publication of The Quest for Meaning in 2007, the world has changed dramatically with the advent of online culture, new technologies, and new ways of making signs and symbols. Updated to reflect these many changes, the second edition includes a comprehensive chapter on the use of semiotics in the Internet age. Written in a student-friendly style, featuring examples from everyday life, the book explains what semiotics is all about and why it is so important for gaining insights into our elusive and mysterious human nature.

About the author

MARCEL DANESI teaches on the history of puzzles at Victoria College of the University of Toronto. Danesi has written puzzles for Reader’s Digest, The Toronto Star, and also maintains a blog on puzzles for Psychology Today. He has also published several best-selling puzzle books, such as The Total Brain Workout and The Complete Brain Workout.

Marcel Danesi's profile page