Abstract
Abstract This article explores the possibility of using neo-Gricean pragmatics as a tool for the stylistic analysis of literary texts, with reference to Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (1935). Although displaying many of the traits of a detective mystery, this novel has been noted by both its author and critics to transcend this genre by exploring two more general themes. Firstly, it is concerned with attitudes to women's role and status in society, and with the consequences of these attitudes. Secondly, it deals with the psychological motivations and developments of its central characters, particularly in relation to the competing demands of emotion and intellect. In this article, neo-Gricean pragmatics is used to explain how these themes are communicated implicitly.
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