Symbols

While the term symbol has been used differently in various academic disciplines, the diverse definitions usually do share one criterion: a symbol is not a rhetorical figure but an object which represents something else (Cuddon 1999, 885; Peil 1998, 519). Unlike signs regarded as arbitrary social constructions that need to be decoded on the basis of cultural conventions, symbols are understood to be more suggestive (de Saussure 1983, 68). Informed by a structuralist approach, Jürgen Link defines symbol as a motivated sign in which a complex iconic signifier, called ‘pictura’, is mapped onto an abstract signified, referred to as ‘subscriptio’ (Link 1974, 168; Link & Parr 1990, 115). This signifying process is characteristic of literature and other interdiscourses because it gives way to a range of suggested but unspecified meanings (Link & Parr 1990, 121-4). Highlighting the symbol's ambiguity, this definition is productive for my study which is based on the understanding that meanings are not fixed but subject to interpretation and change.

The Red Ribbon

The one object receiving the greatest attention around the world as a ubiquitous symbol of the HIV/AIDS pandemic is probably the red ribbon which has come to stand for people's awareness of the virus. It was originally designed in New York City in 1991 by Visual AIDS, a group of artists and art professionals.