The Language of Suspense in Crime Fiction: A Linguistic Stylistic Approach

511 Pages·2017·4.26 MB·English

by  Reshmi Dutta-Flanders (auth.)

The Language of Suspense in Crime Fiction
Reshmi Dutta-Flanders
The Language of
Suspense in Crime
Fiction
A Linguistic Stylistic Approach
Reshmi Dutta-Flanders
English Language and Linguistics
School of European Culture and Languages
University of Kent
Canterbury, UK
ISBN 978-1-137-47027-0 ISBN 978-1-137-47028-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-47028-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016962740
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
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The registered company address is: The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom
To the late Professor Lawrence Goldstein who gave me the opportunity to
resume my career in Linguistic Stylistics.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following Lecturers and Senior Lecturers at
University of Kent for providing me with their own insights and astute
observations on crime studies: Dr Marian Duggan in Criminology and
Dr Will Norman in American Studies. Dr Tony Bex, both from English
Language and Linguistics, for helping me with his helpful suggestions at
the early stages of my writing and to Dr Vikki Janke with taking inter-
est in my progress. Without the support of my department and Head
of School Professor Shane Weller for providing me with my honorary
fellowship, I would not have been able to continue with my book and
complete it. My thanks also go to all Associate Lecturers from different
disciplines at the postgraduate offices for their lively debate and challeng-
ing discussions at various stages of my writing.
vii
Contents
1 I ntroduction 1
Bibliography 4
2 M anipulated Context 5
2.1 Introduction 5
2.2 Context Function 8
2.3 Frame Analysis (FA) 15
2.4 D istortion in Plot Sequence 20
2.4.1 Manipulated Context: The Classification 24
2.4.2 Discourse Referent: The Classification 27
2.5 Th e Processing of Manipulated Context (MC) 28
2.5.1 Manipulated Context: Case Study—
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 30
2.5.2 The Principle of Relevance: Case Study—
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 36
2.5.3 Manipulated Context: Case Study—
Cover Her Face 43
2.5.4 Manipulated Context: Case Study—
The Good Soldier 48
2.5.5 The Principle of Relevance: Case Study—
The Good Soldier 58
ix
x Contents
2.6 M icrocontexts: Scenarios (Case Study:
The Good Soldier) 68
2.7 C onclusion 70
Appendix 2a 72
Frame Analysis: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
(Ackroyd), 1993 72
Frame analysis (FA) 73
Appendix 2b 84
The first story of crime 85
Appendix 2c 90
Frame Analysis (FA): Cover Her Face (CHF), 1974 90
Frame analysis (FA) 91
Appendix 2d 98
Frame Analysis (FA): Moser (2008) 98
Frame Analysis (FA) 99
Maisie Maidan’s death scenario (pp. 85–88) 107
Appendix 2e 126
Manipulated Contexts (murder mystery) 126
Bibliography 133
3 Double Function 137
3.1 I ntroduction 137
3.2 Th e Double Function (DF) Principle 144
3.3 S toryworlds: Inter diegesis Space in the
Narrated World 147
3.4 N arrative Act: Narrating Discourse and
Narrated Discourse 150
3.5 S toryworld Analysis 157
3.5.1 Case Study: Storyworld for Offender
Dr. Sheppard 157
3.5.2 Case Study: Storyworld for Offender
Mrs. Maxie 171
3.5.3 Case Study: Storyworld for Abettor Dowell 175
3.6 C onclusion 183
Bibliography 185
Conten ts xi
4 D isposition 187
4.1 Introduction 187
4.2 S tory Resolved, a Criminal Revealed 190
4.3 V illains: Their Contextual Background 193
4.4 F ramework: The Grammar of Experience 200
4.4.1 Experiential Function: Transformational
Outcome 200
4.4.2 Interpersonal Function: Passivity and
Modality 209
4.4.3 Referential and Evaluative Function:
Truth-Value 217
4.5 F indings: Linguistic Dysfunctions 224
4.5.1 Perpetrator: Bud Corliss 227
4.5.2 Villain: Raven 237
4.5.3 Perpetrator: Ripley 247
4.5.4 Offender: Mrs. Maxie 261
4.5.5 Offender: Dr. Sheppard 265
4.5.6 Abettor: Dowell 269
4.6 C onclusion 275
Appendix 4a 278
Perpetrator Bud Corliss: A Kiss before Dying 278
Appendix 4b 305
Perpetrator Raven: A Gun for Sale 305
Perpetrator Raven 328
Appendix 4d 344
Offender Mrs. Eleanor Maxie: Cover Her Face 344
Perpetrator Mrs. Eleanor Maxie: Cover Her Face 353
Appendix 4e 360
Perpetrator Dr. Sheppard: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 360
Perpetrator Dr. Sheppard: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 364
Appendix 4f 367
Abettor John Dowell: The Good Soldier 367
Abettor John Dowell: The Good Soldier 379
Appendix 4g 391
Offender, Perpetrator Engagement Discourses 391
Bibliography 405
xii Contents
5 O rientation 409
5.1 I ntroduction 409
5.2 H ypothesis: Narrating-I, Narrating-He and
Experiencing Self 416
5.3 O ffender Texts: The Characteristics 418
5.4 Th e Framework: Orientation Techniques 419
5.4.1 O rientation in Behavioral Science 420
5.4.2 O rientation in Modal Senses 420
5.4.3 C ounterfactual Implicature 424
5.4.4 H ypothetical Implicature 427
5.4.5 B inary Pair of Events: Hypotheticality
in Counterfactual Inferences 428
5.5 F indings: Counterfactual Recount and
Hypothetical Utterance 428
5.5.1 A Counterfactual Context 429
5.5.2 A Hypothetical Context 439
5.6 C onclusion 446
Appendix 5 448
Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer:
The Death Row Interviews (2005) 448
The Diary of Jack the Ripper: The chilling
confessions of James Maybrick (2010) 450
Bibliography 454
6 C ontrasting Mind-styles 457
6.1 I ntroduction 457
6.2 F ramework: Image-Structure-Mapping 460
6.3 T ext and Hypothesis: Fictional World 462
6.4 A nalysis: Contrasting Mind-styles 466
6.5 C onclusion 472
Bibliography 473
Conclusion 475
Bibliography 479
Index 493