A Stylistic Analysis Of The Speech And Thought Presentation In Mrs. Dalloway

Since 1960s, stylistics has been in thriving period. With the development of stylistics, researches combining linguistic theories with literary works have been increasingly abundant. As one of Woolf’s most famous stream-of-consciousness novels, Mrs. Dalloway was voted one of the "100 best English-language novels since 1923" by the Times in 2005. Since its publication in 1925, it has been of great popularity with scholars in all fields. Most of the studies are done from the perspective of exterior structure or background of this work:the postwar social background, the psychological motivation of Woolf’s creation, the skillful application of stream-of-consciousness writing technique, the relationship between her life experience and this novel, as well as feminism, ecological aesthetics and her theory of androgyny, etc.. However, there are extremely few researches focusing on the interior language structure. Since speech and thought presentation are main forms to reflect the psychological characteristics of figures, the use of them plays an indispensable role in characterization and deepening of the theme.This study is theoretically based on the Speech and Thought Presentation scale model by Leech & Short, and selects four and three representative scenes from Mrs. Dalloway respectively, along the two narrative lines of Clarissa and Septimus. Then it makes corresponding statistic analysis and comparison of the distribution of speech and thought presentation modes for main characters, including Clarissa, Septimus, Peter and Richard. It tries to explore:1) the pattern of interaction between speech presentation and thought presentation modes in this novel; 2) the impacts of speech and thought presentation modes on characterization, and relationships between characters reflected through them; and 3) the theme reflected through these modes.The study has three corresponding findings:1) direct speech, which is the NORM of speech and thought presentation scale model by Leech & Short, is the most preferred mode for characters; while free direct thought, which is the freest mode of the thought presentation scale model by Leech & Short, is the most preferred mode to indicate a continuity and authenticity of characters’ thoughts. The frequent shifts between modes of direct speech, free direct thought and free indirect thought have achieved an interaction and unification between the internal world and the reality, thus making a sharp contrast between the richness of interior world, and vanity but dullness of the material world.2) during the conversation between Clarissa and Peter, the rates of using free direct thought and free indirect thought modes are nearly the same for both of them, indicating their surviving tacit understanding of each other, and also the same sense of distance from each other for years’ separation. While during the conversation between Clarissa and her husband Richard, Richard’s thoughts are nearly twice Clarissa’s, indicating the scarcity of communication under the cover of their seemingly harmonious marriage. Direct speech is also preferred to be used for Septimus, and his few speeches are mostly used in his monologues and conversations with his wife Rezia. His inability to communicate and disorderly illusions mirror the irreparable damage of the Great War to human beings.3) The analysis on the verbal exchanges and mentality of characters reveals the psychological damage brought by the Great War, and the harrowing failure of people’s attempts to make up their sufferings through materials, charity and communication, represented by the "party" held by Clarissa. In addition, this study still reflects the invisibility of thoughts and superficiality of speeches.Along the two narrative lines, this study makes a stylistic analysis of Mrs. Dalloway, with deep exploration and excavation for the speech and thought presentation modes used for main characters in each scene. It helps readers straighten out the seemingly disordered and fragmentary storyline, the implications under the two presentations, its contribution to the characterization and relationships between main characters. It provides with a more profound and distinct interpretation of the text, and a further attempt in the interdisciplinary researches combining stylistics and literature.