SILENCE IN JANE URQUHART’S THE STONE CARVERS

Abstract

Silence is traditionally recognized as a space of time in which words are not articulated and meaning is not convened. But, silence emerges to have a variety of meanings in literary texts, and that meaning is determined by the context within which silence is placed. The treatment of the theme of silence in 19th century fiction is associated with social injustice and war violence. As shown in the writings of that century, silence replaces feelings and ideas that the authors and/or their characters cannot find the words which can express the victims’ profound pain. In The Stone Carvers (2001), Canadian novelist Jane Urquhart introduces silence as moments of unspoken language, each moment produces two, or more, oppositional meanings, which may affect the characters differently. This research sheds light on the moments of silence that are shown in Urquhart’s novel.