The present work takes a closer look at Text World Theory through analysing Margaret Atwood’s novella "The Penelopiad". Text World Theory (TWT) analyses the mental representations human beings create when indulging in any kind of discourse, the written as well as the spoken one. It structures these mental representations in worlds which have a certain hierarchy between each other. Since Professor Paul Werth developed this theory in the 1980s and 1990s, it has been revised and restructured several times. The question arises whether the structure of TWT is still in need of improvement, as Werth’s three-dimensional structure already proved to be unsatisfactory to some text-world researchers, like Joanna Gavins.
To answer this question, I will look at the mental representation of worlds Margaret Atwood’s novella "The Penelopiad" is able to generate. I am going to argue that this novella is proof that there can be more than one Text World (TW). From these TW, further types of worlds can be created, like Sub-Worlds (SW), Possible Worlds (PW) and in-Text Worlds (iTW), a term which I personally coined. I will try to prove that the major difference between TW and the other world types is the point of view from which they are told.
As the size of the assignment does not allow to analyze the whole TWT structure of "The Penelopiad" in depth, I am going to concentrate on certain aspects only. First of all, it will be the structure in a whole that is going to be the focus and not the content of the single worlds. Furthermore, the parts which deviate from the traditional structure of TWT will be granted more attention than those which overlap it. Finally, only the worlds which are told from Penelope’s perspective will be analyzed. This implies that the TW of the Maids (TW4) will just be mentioned, but not analyzed. Consequently, a lot of this topic will still be open for discussion. "The Penelopiad" is suitable for a TWT analysis as it is set in the particular domain of gender studies.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction.
- Overview on Text World Theory (TWT).
- Traditional TWT structure
- Discourse World (DW).
- Text World (TW).
- Sub-World (SW).
- Major changes to the traditional TWT structure
- Rationale for the selection of The Penelopiad
- Analysis of the TWT structure of The Penelopiad
- Discourse World (DW).
- Text World (TW).
- In-Text World (iTW).
- Sub-World (SW) ..
- Possible World (PW).
- Conclusion...
- References...
- Bibliography..
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The objective of this paper is to investigate the structure of Text World Theory (TWT) through an analysis of Margaret Atwood's novella, The Penelopiad. The author argues that the current structure of TWT, with its focus on a single Text World (TW), is inadequate and proposes a new structure based on the multiple worlds generated in the novella.
- The evolution of TWT and its limitations.
- The concept of multiple Text Worlds (TW).
- The creation and function of Sub-Worlds (SW), Possible Worlds (PW), and In-Text Worlds (ITW).
- The role of perspective in constructing different worlds within a text.
- The application of TWT to the analysis of literary works.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction provides an overview of TWT and its shortcomings, while outlining the objectives and methodology of the paper. Chapter 2 discusses the traditional TWT structure, including the Discourse World (DW), Text World (TW), and Sub-World (SW). The author then examines significant revisions made to the traditional structure, highlighting Joanna Gavins' proposal for multiple Text Worlds (TW). Chapter 3 explains the rationale for choosing The Penelopiad as a case study, emphasizing its relevance to gender studies and its potential for revealing multiple world structures. Finally, the analysis of the TWT structure in The Penelopiad is presented in chapter 4, focusing on the different types of worlds and their connections.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on Text World Theory (TWT), its evolution, and its application to the analysis of literature. The key themes include multiple Text Worlds (TW), Sub-Worlds (SW), Possible Worlds (PW), In-Text Worlds (ITW), gender studies, and the role of perspective in constructing different worlds within a text.
- Citation du texte
- Stefanie Dalvai (Auteur), 2018, Designing a New Structure of Text World Theory (TWT), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/456428
