Text linguistic science, respectively discourse analysis, is a rather young
linguistic discipline, which was mainly established in the 1960s and 70s. It mainly
emerged from three linguistic movements: rhetoric, stylistics and structural analysis
of narratives.
Discourse analysis tries to figure out specific schemes which are relevant to
define a chain of words as a text. As there have always been different definitions of
what a text is it is absolutely necessary in this paper which definition is actually
used. However, it has to be said that there is still no one and only valid definition of
what a text is.
Thus, the beginning of the paper deals with several theoretical subjects and
explains the term “text” that is relevant for the following analysis. Besides, it
describes which criteria have to be fulfilled in order to achieve textuality.
In the course of the analysis the paper applies the introduced text theory to
an excerpt of David Lodge’s novel "Thinks..." which was published in 2001. The
excerpt’s textuality is examined by illustrating how far the seven criteria of
textuality are fulfilled. This novel was chosen because it combines many different
ways of telling. The analyzed extract, for example, is a stream of consciousness and
contains many peculiarities. Therefore, it is very interesting to figure out if the
passage can be defined as a text without problems.
Furthermore, this paper analyzes the relevant peculiarities in the text’s
structure and in its syntax. In the course of this analysis, again, several necessary
theoretical aspects are explained. Furthermore, the text type is named.
As there are no peculiarities in the text’s sound structure and as sign theory
does not play a role these two points are not taken into consideration. At the end
some concluding remarks sum up the text analysis’s most important results. [...]
Table of Contents
Introduction
I. Matter of Analysis
Beginning of David Lodge’s Novel Thinks...
II. Textuality
a.) Definition of “Text
b.) Seven Criteria of Textuality
II. Reference
a.) Deixis
b.) Pronouns
c.) Connotation & Denotation
III. Text Structure & Syntax
a.) Thematic Progression
b.) Syntactic Peculiarities
IV. Text Type
Definition of the Text Type
Concluding Remarks
Objectives and Research Focus
This academic paper aims to examine the linguistic characteristics of textuality by applying discourse analysis to a specific literary excerpt. The primary research goal is to determine whether a complex, stream-of-consciousness passage from David Lodge’s novel Thinks... fulfills the seven established criteria of textuality despite its unconventional narrative structure.
- Theoretical definitions of the term "text" and criteria for textuality.
- Application of DeBeaugrande and Dressler’s seven criteria to a literary extract.
- Analysis of deixis, cohesion, and coherence within interior monologues.
- Investigation of thematic progression and syntactic peculiarities.
- Classification of the specific text type used by the author.
Excerpt from the Book
Beginning of David Lodge’s Novel Thinks...
The analyzed text passage is an extract of David Lodge’s last novel Thinks..., which was published by Secker and Warburg in 2001. The novel contains several different narrative perspectives. The passage which is to be analyzed is an interior monologue, a so-called stream of consciousness in the first-person point of view:
One, two, three, testing, testing … recorder working OK… Olympus Pearlcorder, bought it at Heathrow in the dutyfree on my way to … where? Can’t remember, doesn’t matter … The object of the exercise being to record as accurately as possible the thoughts that are passing through my head at this moment in time, which is, let’s see … 10.13 a.m. on Sunday the 23rd of Febru – San Diego! I bought it on my way to that conference in … Isabel Hotchkiss. Of course, San Diego, ‘Vision and the Brain’. Late eighties. Isabel Hotchkiss. I tested the range of the condenser mike … yes … Where was I? But that’s the point, I’m not anywhere, I haven’t made a decision to think about anything specific, the object of the exercise being simply to record the random thoughts, if anything can be random, the random thoughts passing through a man’s head, all right, my head, at a randomly chosen time and place … […]
Looking at the text superficially it becomes clear that there are some peculiarities. For example, there are many jumps from one idea to the other which is emphasized by using three dots behind each other (…).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides an overview of the discipline of discourse analysis and outlines the methodological approach to analyzing the selected literary excerpt.
I. Matter of Analysis: Presents the source text and introduces the primary research object, highlighting the stream-of-consciousness narrative technique.
II. Textuality: Defines what constitutes a text and evaluates the seven specific criteria (cohesion, coherence, intentionality, etc.) within the context of the novel.
II. Reference: Analyzes the use of deictic expressions, pronouns, and the relationship between denotation and connotation in the narrative.
III. Text Structure & Syntax: Investigates the thematic progression and the impact of syntactic irregularities such as ellipses on the text's structure.
IV. Text Type: Discusses the classification of the passage, identifying it as an expressive, sender-oriented interior monologue.
Concluding Remarks: Summarizes the findings, emphasizing that textuality is a subjective experience dependent on both the reader and the context.
Keywords
Discourse analysis, Textuality, David Lodge, Thinks..., Cohesion, Coherence, Interior monologue, Stream of consciousness, Deixis, Thematic progression, Syntactic peculiarities, Text type, Linguistics, Narrative perspective, Communication.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper focuses on the application of discourse analysis to a literary text to determine how and why a collection of sentences is perceived as a unified "text."
What are the core thematic fields covered?
The work covers text linguistic theories, the seven criteria of textuality, the role of background knowledge in understanding, and syntactic analysis.
What is the primary research question?
The main question is whether a specific stream-of-consciousness excerpt from David Lodge's Thinks... can be classified as a text according to scientific linguistic standards.
Which scientific method is employed?
The author uses a qualitative discourse analysis, primarily based on the framework of DeBeaugrande and Dressler regarding the seven criteria of textuality.
What is discussed in the main body?
The main body systematically analyzes the provided excerpt through the lenses of textuality, referential deixis, structure, syntax, and genre categorization.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include discourse analysis, textuality, cohesion, coherence, interior monologue, and thematic progression.
How does the author define a "text" in this study?
The author acknowledges that there is no single valid definition but relies on the criteria of textuality, which requires a logical nexus and communicability.
How does the stream-of-consciousness technique affect the analysis?
The technique creates specific challenges, such as fragmented sentences and ellipses, which force the reader to actively construct meaning, thereby testing the limits of textuality.
Is intertextuality present in the analyzed excerpt?
The study concludes that there is no clear intertextuality regarding the meaning, though there might be a potential link in terms of form due to the common usage of the stream-of-consciousness style.
- Quote paper
- Jochen Breunig (Author), 2002, Discourse Analysis in D. Lodge's Thinks, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/7207
