Culpeper, Jonathan (2000) An approach to characterisation: the case of Katherina in Shakespeare’s ‘The Taming of the Shrew’. Language and Literature, 9 (4). pp. 291-316. ISSN 0963-9470
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
In this article, I argue that literary characterization can be fruitfully approached by drawing upon theories developed within social cognition to explain the perception of real-life people. I demonstrate how this approach can explain the construction of Katherina, the protagonist in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Specifically, I introduce notions from cognitive theories of knowledge (especially schema theory), and impression formation. Using these, I describe (1) the role of prior knowledge in forming an impression of a character, and (2) how various types of impression are formed. Prior to my analysis of Katherina, I outline the kind of shrew schema the Elizabethans might have had knowledge of. Then, in my analysis I argue that the textual evidence in the first part of the play is largely consistent with this schema, and thus Katherina at this stage is largely a schema-based character. However, I show that as the play progresses a number of changes create the conditions for a more complex and personalized character. As a consequence of this analysis, I claim that Katherina is not, as some critics have argued, simply a shrew, or an inconsistent character, or a typical character of a farce.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Journal or Publication Title: | Language and Literature |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | characterization ; gender ; impression formation ; schema theory ; Shakespeare ; social cognition ; stereotypes ; The Taming of the Shrew |
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics |
| Departments: | Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences > Linguistics & English Language |
| ID Code: | 1047 |
| Deposited By: | Dr Jonathan Culpeper |
| Deposited On: | 29 Jan 2008 15:29 |
| Refereed?: | Yes |
| Published?: | Published |
| Last Modified: | 26 Jul 2012 14:49 |
| Identification Number: | |
| URI: | http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/1047 |
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