Starring the Text (6)

"Like the soothsayer drawing on it with the tip of his staff an imaginary rectangle wherein to consult, according to certain principles, the flight of birds..."

*&**ACT. "drawing": Act of drawing an imaginary rectangle in the air, "consult": Act in which soothsayer interprets the flight of birds through the rectangle. What is the purpose of consulting the flight of birds? **SEM. "Soothsayer": A soothsayer is someone who tries to predict the future through personal, spiritual, or religious beliefs. The metaphor given by Barthes says that the readers who star texts are soothsayers, thus, there is positive connotation for starring texts. ***SYM. Antithesis between the real and the imaginary. In this case, however, the two are intersecting. More specifically, there is synthesis between the imaginary rectangle the soothsayer draws in the air with his solid, earthly staff.