Abstract

BOTELHO, Cláudia M.  and  MARTINS, Moisés de Lemos. "Suddenly, Hope": Semiotic Analysis of a News Magazine Front Cover, The Economist. Vista [online]. 2021, n.8, e021011.  Epub May 01, 2023. ISSN 2184-1284.  https://doi.org/10.21814/vista.3522.

In this work, we propose to analyse, from a semiotic point of view, the front cover of the news magazine, The Economist, released in November 2020, entitled “Suddenly, Hope”. The basis of our analyses was the sign triadic conception inspired by Charles Peirce (1960), including Saussure’s (1916/2006) demonstration, that each sign is linked to the signifier and signified structure and that these dimensions cannot be considered on their own. It is important to mention that the argument that was privileged was the notion that meaning is only produced in specific conditions of time, space and interlocution. Taking into consideration these conceptions, the colour portrayed in The Economist front cover was identified as the principal element of analysis. Goethe (1810/1840) presented colour as the main element of human perception, with the capacity to induce a significative effect in the message receptor soul, or the interpretant, to use Peirce's (1960) terminology in the conception of a sign. The image represented on the front cover of The Economist takes us to the actual social context, the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The front cover of The Economist also compares to the liminality theory of Victor Turner (1969/1974). The crossing of the tunnel can be compared to a rite of passage so that society can become a better one.

Keywords : front cover; image; colour semiotics; sign theory; The Economist.

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