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Document Description

Title	Speech act theory and the teaching of literature
Author	Keating, Robert M.
Description	Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1984. Education
Date	1984
Pagination	v, 65 leaves.
Subject	Speech acts (Linguistics); Literature--Study and teaching
Degree	M.Ed.
Degree Grantor	Memorial University of Newfoundland. Faculty of Education
Discipline	Education
Language	Eng
Notes	Bibliography: leaves 60-65.
Abstract	Speech act theory is a relatively recent subject of study in the philosophy of language and in the philosophy of the mind. The movement appears to have commenced in 1962 with J.L. Austin's How to do Things with Words. The impetus, however, came with the writings of John Searle, beginning with Speech Acts in 1969. -- To philosophers who study this phenomenon, the notion of intentionality is seen as a major component of any work of language used for human communication. Common background experiences and knowledge of speech acts of the common culture are other items of importance in the interpretation of an utterance. -- Because a literary work is a work in language, and since the purpose of language is communication, the literary work is viewed as discourse, and thereby subject to interpretation using speech act theory. The literary text becomes the mediary between writer and reader. The reader completes the speech act with his interpretation of the writer's utterance made manifest by the text. -- The major purpose of this paper has been to argue that a theory of speech acts is tenable as an approach to the interpretation and analysis of literary works at the classroom level. To that end, an overview of speech act theory is attempted, as well as a positing of literature as discourse. The conclusion proposed is that prior to any analysis of a literary work, along the lines of the "New Criticism" for instance, there must be an understanding of the utterance, and this is best accomplished from the point of view of speech act theory.
Type	Text
Resource Type	Electronic thesis or dissertation
Format	Image/jpeg; Application/pdf
Source	Paper copy kept in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University Libraries
Local Identifier	75293154
Rights	The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission.
Collection	Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Scanning Status	Completed
PDF File	(11.34 MB) -- http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/theses/Keating_RobertM.pdf
CONTENTdm file name	51807.cpd