11. The pragmatics of estrangement in fantasy and science fiction
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Michael Adams
Abstract
In this chapter, I examine the theoretical bases of estrangement and its status as a literary illocutionary act essential to the pragmatic foundation of genres such as fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, a foundation distinct from those of other genres precisely on pragmatic grounds. I demonstrate how surplus poeticity at various linguistic levels - onomastic, lexical, and stylistic - contributes to estranging illocutionary force, as well as how invented languages contribute to estrangement but also sometimes interfere with it, because over-investment in invented language can be interpreted as pragmatically uncooperative on an author’s part. Alternatively, metapragmatic discourse within a fiction and metapragmatic awareness it stimulates in readers amplifies estrangement. This is demonstrated in an exemplary text, China Miéville’s novel Embassytown (2011).
Abstract
In this chapter, I examine the theoretical bases of estrangement and its status as a literary illocutionary act essential to the pragmatic foundation of genres such as fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction, a foundation distinct from those of other genres precisely on pragmatic grounds. I demonstrate how surplus poeticity at various linguistic levels - onomastic, lexical, and stylistic - contributes to estranging illocutionary force, as well as how invented languages contribute to estrangement but also sometimes interfere with it, because over-investment in invented language can be interpreted as pragmatically uncooperative on an author’s part. Alternatively, metapragmatic discourse within a fiction and metapragmatic awareness it stimulates in readers amplifies estrangement. This is demonstrated in an exemplary text, China Miéville’s novel Embassytown (2011).
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
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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
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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
