The Image that does not Represent

An Asemiotic Approach

Abstract

Can an image not signify? This paper explores two cases: self-referential images and mythological images. While Winfred Nöth defends the universality of semiotics against a potential paradox, this paper argues that subjection to semiotic logic can distort the understanding of domains such as myth. Mythological images do not adhere to formal logic and lack distinct signifiers and signified. By studying myth from within, without attempting to interpret it through external frameworks, the unique asemiotic nature of the identity between subject and object is revealed.