Critic speak is tough, but we've got you covered.
Quote :"Textual Analysis of a Tale by Edgar Poe"
This whole "volume" is drawn forward (in the direction of the end of the narrative), thus provoking the reader's impatience, under the influence of two structural procedures: a) distortion or twisting out of shape: the terms of one sequence or of one code are separated, braided with heterogeneous elements; a sequence seems to be abandoned (for example the deterioration of Valdemar's health), but it is taken up again later, often very much later; an expectation is created; now we can even define sequence: this floating micro-structure which constructs not a logical object, but an expectation and its resolution; b) irreversibility: despite the floating character of structuration, in the classic readable narrative (such as a tale by Poe), there are two codes which maintain a vectored order, the actional code (founded on a logico-temporal order) and the code of the Enigma (the question crowned with its solution); thus the narrative is made irreversible.
Barthes is known for breaking texts up into segments and analyzing the narrative step by step. In this case, Barthes is analyzing a short story by Edgar Allan Poe called "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." As is usually the case in narrative theory, Barthes's focus is on structure and on taking a scientific approach to the study of literature.
There isn't space here to go into all the narrative threads that Barthes uncovers, but this quote gives you a flavor. One thing worth remembering is that all narratives involve some sort of movement and progression. When we're analyzing a text, then, Barthes says we need to think about how the narrative moves forward.
Here, Barthes points to a couple of specific devices that Poe uses. The first is "distortion," and this happens when narrative sequence that we've been following seems to get messed up, leading us to believe that it has been abandoned. However, it turns out that this thread rears its head again later (often much later) in the narrative.
The other device that Barthes mentions in this passage is "irreversibility." This, Barthes explains, is made up of two codes: the actional code and the code of the Enigma. Um, yeah? It's actually not too hard: "actional" refers to the sequences of actions that take place throughout the course of the narrative—plus how they relate to one another. The "Enigma" code, meanwhile, is made up of a question that is ultimately solved.
As Barthes points out, these two codes combine to make the narrative irreversible. This brings us to the idea of the classical narrative, which has that standard structure of beginning, middle, and end. Barthes notes that Poe's story is a classical narrative and therefore works along these lines: its events pan out in a conventional way over a period of time, and the mystery is solved. In contrast to some other types of narratives, then, the passage of time and the course of events can't be reversed.