話法と思考の表出のモードとその喜劇的効果

概要

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Novelists use a variety of modes of speech and thought presentation for the purpose of manipulating the readers' perception of the characters in the texts. Readers judge and evaluate the characters not only by what the characters do and say, but also from how the characters' speech or thought are presented by the narrator. In this paper, I would like to look into the modes of speech and thought presentation, and their effects on the understanding of the characters, mainly when they are used to produce comical irony and elicit mirth. Examples are taken from Pride and Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird. Although it is generally accepted that speech presented in free indirect form has a distancing and ironical effect, other forms such as direct speech and narrator's report were also found to be used to intensify a similar effect. Moreover, it has been observed that various forms of speech and thought presentation can be used not only for economy, variety and avoiding monotony, but to show the balance of the narrator's and the character's involvement. While free indirect thought / speech presentation is sometimes confused with pure narrative, to recognize these forms helps to differentiate the voice of the narrator from the characters, thus enhancing the understanding of the text.