| This dissertation is initiated by two problems in the field of stylistics of drama and the area of point of view study.The first problem lies in the object of the study in stylistics of drama.No matter how important drama dialogues and stage directions have been discussed,few people combine the two components of the dramatic text in their study.Another problem lies in the field of point of view study.The study of point of view in dramatic texts has been largely neglected by stylisticians.This might be due to the fact that point of view is usually regarded as a narratological phenomenon.People tend to study point of view in prose fiction,but only a few people try to explore how point of view works in drama.Nevertheless,the linguistic,paralinguistic and body language indicators of point of view do exist in dramatic texts.Therefore,I decide to solve the two problems mentioned above simultaneously by approaching the dramatic text from the perspective of point of view.In this study,I have adopted Chatman‘s(1978,1986,1990)terminology and taxonomy of point of view and considered its linguistic,paralinguistic,and body language indicators suggested in every component of dramatic texts.I have combined and reorganized all of those viewpoint indicators into an integrated and systematic analytical framework.This framework has been applied into Australian playwright Katherine Thomson‘s play Diving for Pearls to test its applicability and to find out what aesthetic values can be revealed through the study of point of view in this play.After the demonstrative analysis of this play,I have found that point of view study in drama can assist in the interpretation of dramatic texts,provide valuable insights into characterization and the relationships between characters.This study has also proved that point of view indicators can be found in every component of dramatic texts.The playwright‘s point of view mainly exists in the extra-dialogic stage directions while the character‘s point of view exists in the turns of drama dialogues and intra-dialogic stage directions.According to the study,the character‘ point of view does not remain static in drama dialogues.To the contrary,it tends to remain in a state of dynamic change,for it might be influenced by other characters in their communication with each other.The dynamic change of the character‘ point of view tends to be affected by several factors: i.e.the emotional and personality factors of the character;the relationships of the characters;the importance the character attaches to the topics related to his or her point of view.Therefore,through the analysis of the change of the character‘s point of view in the drama dialogues,I can make a deeper understanding of the aesthetic values of the drama,such as the characterization and the relationships of the characters.To be specific,take Diving for Pearls as an example,the point of view of Den tends to be influenced and changed by Barbara especially in the first act of this play in the scenarios when Den tries his best to pursue Barbara.However,in the second act of the drama,Den learns that his position is not guaranteed and is about to lose his job,and Barbara also fails to find a job and becomes discouraged.Facing Barbara‘s repeated requests for unemployment compensation to start a business,Den does not accept Barbara‘s point of view.He instead tries to maintain his point of view and decides to unite his colleagues to fight against the company‘s decision.As a result,the relationship between the two begins to plummet and eventually break down.It can be seen that analyzing the point of view of Diving for Pearls can not only help us to understand the dramatic text,but also provide us with insights into its characterization and the relationships of the characters. |
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