COGNITIVE STYLISTICS AT WORK
This unit offers an opportunity to apply a number of the constructs developed across
this strand to different types of literary text. Although no more than a snapshot of
the range of methods currently available in cognitive poetics, it should nonetheless
signal the type of direction such an analysis might take. A more comprehensive
analysis is provided in the reading that accompanies this unit (D10), where Margaret
Freeman explores from a cognitive stylistic perspective a special kind of grammat-
ical pattern in the poems of Emily Dickinson.
Schemas in literary discourse: that restaurant again
Schank and Abelson’s ‘restaurant script’ was touched upon in B10, and given the
fame, not to say notoriety, their illustration has acquired over the years, we should
probably undertake a stylistic activity that explores this very scenario. As noted,
Schank and Abelson build the idea of temporal progression into a script by defining
it as a
stereotyped sequence of actions
that define a well-known situation. This ties in
well with models of discourse (see C9) which take account of our assumptions about
how certain routines of discourse should progress.
Read through the following two extracts from Steven Berkoff ’s play
Greek
(the
extracts are separated by around forty lines of dialogue, which includes interaction
between characters other than the two featured here):
(1)
Cafe. Chorus of kitchen cafe menu sounds and phrases.
EDDY:
One coffee please and croissant and butter.
WAITRESS:
Right. Cream?
EDDY:
Please.
(. . .)
(2)
EDDY:
Where’s my fucking coffee? I’ve nearly finished this cheese-
cake and then my whole purpose in life at this particular
moment will be lost. I’ll be drinking hot coffee with nothing
to wash it down with.
WAITRESS:
Here you are, sorry I forgot you!
EDDY:
About fucking time!
WAITRESS:
Oh shut your mouth, you complaining heap of rat’s shit.
(Berkoff 1983: 35f)
With respect to the obvious transition in discourse strategies that occur in (2), try
to highlight any features of discourse that challenge your understanding of the natural
progression of this familiar service encounter. To what extent is Berkoff ’s dialogue
an example of
schema disruption
as described in B10? And to what extent can our
predictions about the development of a script (in this case the progression of
the restaurant script) be aligned with our predictions about discourse and dialogue
(especially politeness strategies)?
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C O G N I T I V E S T Y L I S T I C S A T W O R K
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C10
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