Combining insights from construction grammar, cognitive poetics, and narratology, Marie-Christine Benen analyses free indirect discourse as a large-scale construction.
Experiencing a narrative from the point of view of one or more characters is one of the most intriguing features of literature. It can be achieved in a variety of ways, including free indirect discourse (FID), which gives rise to a unique perspective by combining the viewpoint of narrator and character. While nothing about FID is undisputed, Construction Grammar Beyond the Sentence lays out both the formal and functional characteristics of this particular style by analyzing it as a large-scale construction.
This study displays how FID manifests as patterns of form and meaning within the framework of construction grammar. It illustrates how the dual perspective of narrator and character is linguistically realized and how language users are able to reconcile superficially contradicting elements. This includes the use of past tense and proximal deictic expressions, not only in literature but also other text and discourse types. While focusing on extending constructional analysis to encompass larger linguistic units, Benen showcases the insights that a cognitive linguistic study can have for the field of literary studies and cognitive poetics through an interdisciplinary perspective.
This book will appeal to scholars and students working in literary studies, cognitive linguistics, cognitive science and philosophy of language.