Stylistics, point of view and modality

Abstract

This chapter comprises an introduction to one of the most intensively researched areas of stylistic enquiry, that of narratorial point of view and its interaction with the linguistic system of modality. Just as in everyday speech we typically use the phrase ‘point of view’ to refer to a particular person’s perspective of an action or event, this fi gurative understanding of the phrase underlies the use of the term in stylistics, as it does in literary, linguistic, art and fi lm theory. However, theories of point of view in narrative are many and varied, with the high levels of research conducted generating a correspondingly high number of differing and often competing defi nitions which have complicated its discussion somewhat (see Wales 2011, p. 326). As such, this chapter commences with an introduction to and a simultaneous consolidation of existing theories of point of view which allow us to arrive at a workable defi nition of the term that can act as a basis for consideration of the relationship between point of view and modality. The initial survey will be based upon the three ‘bands’ of research into point of view as helpfully identifi ed by Simpson (1993). The last of Simpson’s research ‘bands’ – which includes the seminal work of Uspensky (1973) and Fowler’s four-part taxonomy of point of view (1996 [1986]) – provides a useful springboard for consideration of the relationship between point of view and modality. As Simpson (1993) and others demonstrate, the concept of modality can be utilised to systematically identify the linguistic means by which various differing points of view are manifested in narratives. As such, the interactions between point of view and modality will be discussed in detail, and will include an outline of the four modal systems found in English and the provision of illustrative examples which enable the formalisation of a grammar of point of view through placement within a modal frame. Finally, a consideration of future research into narrative point of view will illustrate the growing trend towards expanding its application.