Modality Perspective On Literary Character Analysis

Since Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, was published, literature criticisms and linguistic researches on this novel are too numerous to mention. However, there are few studies of it from Systemic Functional Grammar perspective. Based on modality theory in Systemic Functional Grammar approach, the author makes a tentative research on it。The author reviews the previous studies of interpersonal function and the previous researches on Jane Eyre from the linguistic perspective, from which the necessity and feasibility of this study appear. Analyzing characters'words based on modality theory is essential to interpret the personal traits, mental change and social status of characters. Then, the author elaborates on the theoretical foundation of this thesis, modality theory, in details, which provides a theoretical support for the analysis of characters' words. Direct quotations in Jane Eyre are taken as the research object. The analysis of Jane's words is operated from three angles:modal operators, modal adjuncts and metaphors of modality. The author draws the distribution of modality value, and explains the language features from the perspective of Systemic Functional Grammar. In addition to, the author also explains Jane's mental change and her social role from the perspective of Systemic Functional Grammar. This study proves that modality theory provides a new framework and approach for the interpretation of characters and the analysis of discourses. It also provides a new angle and a more objective basis for appreciating and understanding literary texts.The purpose of this study is to comprehend this novel more completely, to understand its theme better and to provide some implications in applying modality theory in the analysis of literary works.