Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali Smith
Postmodern play is one of the important characteristics of modern fiction; it often acts as a text-forming element of the literary work. Literary play is manifested within different text levels and literary discourse strategies: the narrative, composition, imagery, diction, narrative temporality and...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Kemerovo State University
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Вестник Кемеровского государственного университета |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://vestnik.kemsu.ru/jour/article/view/2670 |
| _version_ | 1797781679542108160 |
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| author | G. I. Lushnikova T. Iu. Osadchaia |
| author_facet | G. I. Lushnikova T. Iu. Osadchaia |
| author_sort | G. I. Lushnikova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Postmodern play is one of the important characteristics of modern fiction; it often acts as a text-forming element of the literary work. Literary play is manifested within different text levels and literary discourse strategies: the narrative, composition, imagery, diction, narrative temporality and modality, the technique of metanarrative. The present paper features the poetics of play within different text levels and literary discourse strategies in the novel by contemporary Scottish writer Ali Smith "There But For The". At the level of the novel’s narrative, the play manifests itself in the confusion of reality and fantasy, imagination and actual memory in the characters' internal speech. At the level of composition, the author plays with the readers, giving them an opportunity to find some "key" that will connect the four chapters of the novel and the prologue; the characters and connections between them are sometimes also a mystery. Within the literary strategy of temporality, the following play elements are presented: the contrast between serious reasoning about Time and humorous comments and thematically related pieces of poetry; nonlinear narration; description of events which take place in different time periods in a short context. Within the literary strategy of modality, we can trace the author’s play with the reader and the effect of defeated expectancy. The technique of metanarrative also contains elements of the play: the literary and stylistic means used in the novel are explained both in a serious and a joking manner. The diction of the novel is characterized by usage of stylistic devices of different language levels, their function being that of the play: oxymoron, zeugma, chiasm, holophrasis, different types of morphological repetition, and pun. The results of the study suggest that the introduction of elements of a play into the novel at its different levels makes a sharp contrast with the existential themes of the work. Such a contrast greatly enhances the impact of this novel on the reader and requires further study. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:00:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67621ea1fd4543dfb9f522a0e46921c5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2078-8975 2078-8983 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:00:55Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | Kemerovo State University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Вестник Кемеровского государственного университета |
| spelling | doaj.art-67621ea1fd4543dfb9f522a0e46921c52023-07-13T12:08:24ZengKemerovo State UniversityВестник Кемеровского государственного университета2078-89752078-89832019-05-0121123224110.21603/2078-8975-2019-21-1-232-2412295Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali SmithG. I. Lushnikova0T. Iu. Osadchaia1V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal UniversityV. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal UniversityPostmodern play is one of the important characteristics of modern fiction; it often acts as a text-forming element of the literary work. Literary play is manifested within different text levels and literary discourse strategies: the narrative, composition, imagery, diction, narrative temporality and modality, the technique of metanarrative. The present paper features the poetics of play within different text levels and literary discourse strategies in the novel by contemporary Scottish writer Ali Smith "There But For The". At the level of the novel’s narrative, the play manifests itself in the confusion of reality and fantasy, imagination and actual memory in the characters' internal speech. At the level of composition, the author plays with the readers, giving them an opportunity to find some "key" that will connect the four chapters of the novel and the prologue; the characters and connections between them are sometimes also a mystery. Within the literary strategy of temporality, the following play elements are presented: the contrast between serious reasoning about Time and humorous comments and thematically related pieces of poetry; nonlinear narration; description of events which take place in different time periods in a short context. Within the literary strategy of modality, we can trace the author’s play with the reader and the effect of defeated expectancy. The technique of metanarrative also contains elements of the play: the literary and stylistic means used in the novel are explained both in a serious and a joking manner. The diction of the novel is characterized by usage of stylistic devices of different language levels, their function being that of the play: oxymoron, zeugma, chiasm, holophrasis, different types of morphological repetition, and pun. The results of the study suggest that the introduction of elements of a play into the novel at its different levels makes a sharp contrast with the existential themes of the work. Such a contrast greatly enhances the impact of this novel on the reader and requires further study.https://vestnik.kemsu.ru/jour/article/view/2670postmodernist textthe poetics of playexistential themesmetanarrativenonlinear narrationdefeated expectancy |
| spellingShingle | G. I. Lushnikova T. Iu. Osadchaia Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali Smith Вестник Кемеровского государственного университета postmodernist text the poetics of play existential themes metanarrative nonlinear narration defeated expectancy |
| title | Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali Smith |
| title_full | Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali Smith |
| title_fullStr | Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali Smith |
| title_full_unstemmed | Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali Smith |
| title_short | Postmodernist Play within Different Text Levels in There But For The by Ali Smith |
| title_sort | postmodernist play within different text levels in there but for the by ali smith |
| topic | postmodernist text the poetics of play existential themes metanarrative nonlinear narration defeated expectancy |
| url | https://vestnik.kemsu.ru/jour/article/view/2670 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gilushnikova postmodernistplaywithindifferenttextlevelsintherebutforthebyalismith AT tiuosadchaia postmodernistplaywithindifferenttextlevelsintherebutforthebyalismith |