Inferring character from text : attribution theory and foregrounding theory.

Culpeper, Jonathan (1996) Inferring character from text : attribution theory and foregrounding theory. Poetics, 23 (5). pp. 335-361. ISSN 0304-422X

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Abstract

There is at present no theoretical framework that captures the processes involved in literary characterisation. In this paper, I focus on the issue of how and when people infer information about character from a text. Drawing upon work in social psychology, I assess and compare two attribution theories, both of which are designed to explain how we infer aspects of personality in real life situations. In particular, I highlight the apparent mutual incompatibility of these theories. In order to strengthen their theoretical position, I describe how these theories are analogous in particular ways with foregrounding theory, a theory which addresses issues to do with literary interpretation. In drawing this analogy, I demonstrate how the two attribution theories might be reconciled. Finally, I consider the operation of attribution theory in literary texts and demonstrate its power as a descriptive and explanatory framework.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Poetics
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3310
Subjects:
?? linguistics and languagelanguage and linguisticscommunicationliterature and literary theoryp philology. linguistics ??
ID Code:
31688
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
09 Feb 2010 11:44
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
15 Jul 2024 10:45