Speech and Thought Representation in Hemingway: The Case of Free Indirect Discourse

Olga A Blinova

doi:10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1s1p458

Abstract

The paper looks into modes of speech and thought presentation, with a particular interest in Free Indirect Discourse. Taking a functional perspective on Free Indirect Discourse, the research studies its formal and stylistic features in E. Hemingway’s short stories. The aim of the study is to outline the factors that determine Hemingway’s choice of this particular mode of discourse presentation. The discourse analysis of 37 samples of FID usage reveals a correlation between the formal features (deixis, tense usage, character speech markers) and stylistic functions of Free Indirect Discourse. These include either distancing the narrator from the character or virtually merging the two together. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1s1p458

Highlights

Free Indirect Discourse is a stylistically marked mode of speech and thought presentation usually employed as a tool for blending the narrator’s voice with that of the character’s
The point of view traditionally is by default assumed to belong to the speaker, Free Indirect Discourse challenges the stereotype
This paper explores how the functional features of Free Indirect Discourse are conditioned by its formal and contextual characteristics

Summary

Introduction

Free Indirect Discourse is a stylistically marked mode of speech and thought presentation usually employed as a tool for blending the narrator’s voice with that of the character’s. This typically results in an ambiguity when determining the point of view. The point of view traditionally is by default assumed to belong to the speaker (the speaker being the narrator or a character when dealing with a dialogue), Free Indirect Discourse challenges the stereotype. This article discusses the correlation of the formal and stylistic features of Free Indirect Discourse in Men without Women, a 1927 short story collection by Ernest Hemingway

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