A Study Of The Interpersonal Meaning In The Dialogue Between Two Heroines In Lady Windermere's Fan

Systemic functional linguistics(SFL) provides a theoretical base for stylistic analysis of literature works.The founder of SFL,Halliday,claims that all languages are organized around three metafunctions:ideational,interpersonal and textual.The interpersonal function not only embodies the speaker's identity and status,but also shows his attitude,motivation or inference to the surroundings.The interpersonal meaning refers to the meaning that reflects the nature of the interpersonal relationship among those who are using the language.At present,a lot of studies are found in discourse analysis from the perspective of interpersonal metafunction,but a few in analysis of drama.One crucial aspect of drama is its emphasis on verbal interaction, and the way relationships between people are constructed and negotiated through what they say.Therefore,analyzing the interpersonal meaning in dramatic dialogue from linguistic perspective can help us to have better understanding of how conversation works in drama,have better appreciation of a playwright's skill in designing the characters' speeches and have deep exploration of the interaction between characters.The thesis based on functional analysis of the style of drama focuses on the interpersonal meaning realized through Mood,Modality and Appraisal systems in the dialogue between Mrs.Erlynne and Lady Windermere at the beginning of Act Three in the drama Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde from a functional perspective. The purpose is to explore what interpersonal meanings are conveyed through Mood, Modality and Appraisal systems in the dialogue between protagonists;how protagonists' personalities,emotions,attitudes and psychology are unveiled through the interpersonal meaning;how the change of the relations between protagonists is embodied through language,and what attitudes Wilde takes towards the protagonists and how Victorian morals are conveyed in the dialogue.The major findings of the study are listed as follows:First,the analysis of the interpersonal meaning realized through mood system shows that Mrs.Erlynne sponsors and controls the conversation.The distinctive selection of mood and sentence pattern is made around the development of the plot and the description of the protagonists' characteristics.This provides a new perspective to appreciate the drama,and make clear Wilde's attitudes towards the protagonists-sympathizing with the "bad" woman and mocking the "good" woman.Second,the analysis of the interpersonal meaning realized through modality system helps to reveal the distinctive personalities of Mrs.Erlyrme and Lady Windermere and demonstrate the change of their relations.The choices of modal operators,modal adjuncts and modal clauses correspond to the protagonists' characteristics and attitudes,and the development of the plot.Third,the analysis of the interpersonal meaning realized through appraisal system further unveils the protagonists' emotions,psychology,attitudes toward each other and their relations.Meanwhile,the attitudinal terms(affect,judgment and appreciation) used by the two protagonists expose the hypocrisy,selfishness and vanity of upper class society in Victorian times.Fourth,the analysis of the interpersonal meaning realized by mood,modality and appraisal systems reveals the theme of Lady Windermere's Fan is forgiveness, which demonstrates Wilde's sympathy for those who desire to expiate,his appeal of the spirit of forgiving and his criticism and sarcasm to Victorian morals.Fifth,the analysis of the interpersonal meaning in the dialogue exposes the characters' attitudes and values,and their subtle changes with the development of the plot.The analysis supports the fact that a bad and infamous woman sacrificed her own reputation and saved a good and orthodox woman's fame and family,which shows that traditional Victorian morals' harshness and cruelty on people with a past is unreasonable.This demonstrates that the playwright feels sympathy for those who desire to expiate.It seems that in this play a "good" woman is put in a "bad" deed while a "bad" woman is put in a "good" deed according to the main stream of Victorian social morals.The hypocrisy,selfishness and infamy of upper class society in late Victorian times are further revealed,which reflects that Wilde criticizes and satirizes Victorian morals in a very counter-conventional and paradoxical way. Finally the thesis comes to the following conclusion:The study of the interpersonal meaning in the dialogue between Mrs.Erlyrme and Lady Windermere demonstrates that the linguistic forms of the characters' dialogue adopted by the playwright are designed for the theme of the drama,the development of the plot,and the personalities of the protagonists.The distinctive selection of mood,modality and appraisal terms is made around the development of the plot and the description of the protagonists' characteristics.It is by means of language and its structures and wordings in the interpersonal system that the playwright creates the characters,their social relations and interactions,as a most important part of the drama,to push the plot forward to reach its climax,and ultimately,achieve what the playwright desires and meet what readers or audiences expect.The thesis proves that the analysis and appreciation of Lady Windermere's Fan from the perspective of linguistics is helpful to reveal linguistic features and style in Victorian times,explain the protagonists' personalities,emotions,attitudes and the change of their relations,and the theme of the play—forgiveness.This study implies that the analysis of the interpersonal meaning in the drama can help us to explore different means of realizing interpersonal meaning,check up the feasibility of interpersonal function in analyzing dramatic dialogue,unveil the relations between protagonists,deepen understanding and appreciation of the drama and fred out the playwright's attitudes toward the protagonists,and make clear how the interpersonal meaning works in the plot development of the drama.