Perlocution And Poetic Discourse: A Pragmastylistic Approach

This study makes a poetic discourse analysis from a pragmastylistic approach based on the notion of perlocution within the framework of speech act theory. It first proposes a model of perlocution by considering poetry as a discourse whose effects are produced in the interaction between the poet and the reader. Then it uses this model of perlocution for a detailed analysis of poetic discourse at the three levels of perlocution, namely, the explicative perlocution, the implicative perlocution and the receptive perlocution. It is clearly indicated that the notion of perlocution in speech act theory is of high value in its application and sheds new light on literary texts.The dissertation is divided into seven major chapters.Chapter One presents a general introduction to the dissertation including the preview, the rationale, the objectives and methodology as well as the organization of this study. The research questions are proposed as follows: (1) What is the nature of perlocution? (2) How is perlocution internally related to poetic discourse? (3) How can poetic discourse be accounted for through the application of the notion of perlocution within the framework of speech act theory from a pragmastylistic approach?The paper has three objectives: (1) to elucidate the nature of perlocution and deepen the understanding of pragmatic mechanism; (2) to analyze the internal relationship between perlocution and poetic discourse; (3) to explore a new dimension of the interpretation of poetic discourse from a pragmastylistic approach.Chapter Two opens with the current research in the context of relevant theories and orients the research towards poetic discourse and perlocution. The related studies include the relationship between linguistics and literature, pragmatics and literature, and perlocution and poetry. The chapter also summarizes different theoretical perspectives, points out the limitations of current research and paves a way for the study of poetic discourse from a new approach. Traditionally, the studies of language and literature have pursued divergent paths and have been regarded as separate areas of study. The problem of integrating them within a single discipline has been called the'lang-lit'problem (Leech, 1969: 2). Linguistics and literature are neighbouring disciplines, both drawing heavily on language and communication. A poem is a particular kind of speech act, which is deeply rooted in the ordinary use of language. Hence, pragmatics offers new perspectives on the production, interpretation, reception, and evaluation of poetry.Chapter Three sets up the theoretical framework for the analysis by proposing a model of perlocution. The model of perlocution offers a comprehensive and integrated way of interpreting poetic discourse from three levels. The focal points in this model are the three levels of perlocution, namely, explicative perlocution, implicative perlocution and receptive perlocution. The model demonstrates the explanatory power of perlocution in its application in the analysis of poetic discourse. This study maintains that perlocution is, in nature, transcational. Since perlocution can be divided into explicative perlocution, implicative perlocution and receptive perlocution, the relationship among the speaker and the hearer, the content, the intention and the consequences of the utterances are all integrated into one single concept, namely, perlocution. At the first level, perlocution is the consequences of locutions. The effects come from the listener's recognition and acceptance of the form or the textual features of the utterance; at the second level, perlocution is the consequences of illocutions. The hearer maneuvers himself/herself to the understanding of the speaker's intention; at the third level, perlocution is the multiple consequences brought about by the hearer in terms of his/her psychology and cognition.Chapter Four discusses the relationship between poetic form and explicative perlocution through the three features of poetic discourse, namely, response-inviting vison, sound and diction. Poetry is above all an art of'immediate effects'. Poetic discourse has its own internal regularity and structural features. The interpretation of poetic discourse depends on the textual context. Examining textual features of a poem is an intrinsic part of the interpretative process. The appreciation of poetic form at the level of explicative perlocution is crucial to the reading of poetic discourse.Chapter Five illustrates the interplay of poetic force and implicative perlocution. A poet has a particular intention about how that poem should act on a reader and how it should be interpreted. Authorial intended meanings are fundamental to the construction of poetic meaning. The goal of the reader's interpretative efforts at this level, it is assumed, is to discover the author's intention. A poetic discourse is considered as the site of an interaction between a poet and readers which the poet controls. Readers restore poetic texts to their original contexts in order to recapture their intended meanings. This chapter illustrates the relationship between implicative perlocution and poetic force through the general conventionalized conceptual metaphors in poetic discourse.Chapter Six combines poetic evocation with receptive perlocution. In constructing a reading of a poetic text, the interpreter can always make inferences that will not have been in any way intended by the poet. In other words, readers have their own interpretations of poetic discourse. They provide multiple interpretations of the same poetic discourse. This chapter mainly concerns the subjectivity of the reader in his/her interaction with the text and the author.Chapter Seven is the conclusion of the study. It summarizes the major ideas of the research and briefly and succinctly points out certain trends and orientations concerning the discipline. The limitations and implications of the study are also highlighted.This study has made the following three contributions: First, the study is the first attempt to employ the notion of perlocution to analyze poetic discourse within the framework of speech act theory. Second, the notion of perlocution is tentatively broadened by proposing the three levels from which poetic discourse is analyzed in details. Third, the study proves the feasibility and validity of speech act theory's role in the interpretation of poetry, which adds a new pragmatic dimension to stylistic analysis and thus broadens the scope of pragmastylistics. It provides a new approach for both speech act theory and literary criticism.