6. Narrative perspectives on voice in fiction
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Christian R. Hoffmann
Abstract
This chapter critically reviews some of the most influential linguistic and literary approaches to the concept of “voice”. The latter will be understood in a broad sense as the narrative strategies authors employ to delineate a narrator’s thoughts or vision in literary fiction. More specifically, the chapter surveys interdisciplinary research on the two main subsidiary concepts of “perspective” and “mind style”. While research on perspective focusses on the particular spatio-temporal or reflective viewpoint from which narrators tell their stories, “mind style” centres on the linguistic features which reveal the narrator’s individual emotional or psychological state of mind. While the chapter is principally concerned with research on voice in stylistics, narratology and film theory relevant for a pragmatics of fiction, it specifically highlights more recent multimodal and cognitive approaches to the study of voice in telecinematic discourse.
Abstract
This chapter critically reviews some of the most influential linguistic and literary approaches to the concept of “voice”. The latter will be understood in a broad sense as the narrative strategies authors employ to delineate a narrator’s thoughts or vision in literary fiction. More specifically, the chapter surveys interdisciplinary research on the two main subsidiary concepts of “perspective” and “mind style”. While research on perspective focusses on the particular spatio-temporal or reflective viewpoint from which narrators tell their stories, “mind style” centres on the linguistic features which reveal the narrator’s individual emotional or psychological state of mind. While the chapter is principally concerned with research on voice in stylistics, narratology and film theory relevant for a pragmatics of fiction, it specifically highlights more recent multimodal and cognitive approaches to the study of voice in telecinematic discourse.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Preface to the handbook series v
- Preface ix
- Table of contents xi
- 1. Introducing Pragmatics of Fiction: Approaches, trends and developments 1
-
I. Pragmatics of fiction as communication: Foundations
- 2. Participation structure in fictional discourse: Authors, scriptwriters, audiences and characters 25
- 3. The pragmatics of the genres of fiction 55
- 4. Fictional characterisation 93
- 5. The role of dialogue in fiction 129
- 6. Narrative perspectives on voice in fiction 159
- 7. Pragmatics of style in fiction 197
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II. Features of orality and variation
- 8. Oral features in fiction 235
- 9. Doing dialects in dialogues: Regional, social and ethnic variation in fiction 265
- 10. Multilingualism in fiction 297
- 11. The pragmatics of estrangement in fantasy and science fiction 329
-
III. Pragmatic themes in fiction
- 12. Pragmatics and the translation of fiction 367
- 13. Subtitling and dubbing in telecinematic text 397
- 14. (Im)politeness in fiction 425
- 15. (Im)politeness and telecinematic discourse 455
- 16. Stance in fiction 489
- 17. Language and emotion in fiction 515
- 18. Language change and fiction 553
- Bionotes 585
- Index of authors of scholarly work 591
- Index of authors of fictional work 603
- Index of fictional sources 605
- Subject index 609
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter i
- Preface to the handbook series v
- Preface ix
- Table of contents xi
- 1. Introducing Pragmatics of Fiction: Approaches, trends and developments 1
-
I. Pragmatics of fiction as communication: Foundations
- 2. Participation structure in fictional discourse: Authors, scriptwriters, audiences and characters 25
- 3. The pragmatics of the genres of fiction 55
- 4. Fictional characterisation 93
- 5. The role of dialogue in fiction 129
- 6. Narrative perspectives on voice in fiction 159
- 7. Pragmatics of style in fiction 197
-
II. Features of orality and variation
- 8. Oral features in fiction 235
- 9. Doing dialects in dialogues: Regional, social and ethnic variation in fiction 265
- 10. Multilingualism in fiction 297
- 11. The pragmatics of estrangement in fantasy and science fiction 329
-
III. Pragmatic themes in fiction
- 12. Pragmatics and the translation of fiction 367
- 13. Subtitling and dubbing in telecinematic text 397
- 14. (Im)politeness in fiction 425
- 15. (Im)politeness and telecinematic discourse 455
- 16. Stance in fiction 489
- 17. Language and emotion in fiction 515
- 18. Language change and fiction 553
- Bionotes 585
- Index of authors of scholarly work 591
- Index of authors of fictional work 603
- Index of fictional sources 605
- Subject index 609
