Paradigms of Reading: Relevance Theory and DeconstructionLinguistic signs do not coincide with intended or interpreted meanings. For relevance theory, this theoretical commonplace merely demonstrates the inferential nature of language. For Paul de Man, on the contrary, it suggested that language is unstable, random, arbitrary, mechanical, ironic and inhuman. This book seeks to show that relevance theory is a more plausible account of communication, cognition and literary interpretation than the deconstructionist theory de Man elaborated from readings of Rousseau, Hegel and Nietzsche. |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 Relevance Theory and Spoken Communication | 16 |
Relevance and Communication | 29 |
Themes Figures Codes and Cognition | 47 |
5 Words Concepts and Tropes | 62 |
6 Rhetoric as an Insurmountable Obstacle | 84 |
The Problem of Reference | 107 |
8 Mechanical Performatives | 131 |
9 The Madness of Words and the Enunciating Subject | 152 |
10 When Lucy ceasd to be | 176 |
11 Relevance and Rhetoric | 196 |
Notes | 199 |
| 221 | |
| 232 | |
Other editions - View all
Paradigms of Reading: Relevance Theory and Deconstruction I. MacKenzie,Ian Mackenzie No preview available - 2002 |
Paradigms of Reading: Relevance Theory and Deconstruction I. MacKenzie,Ian Mackenzie No preview available - 2002 |
Common terms and phrases
active Aesthetic Allegories allows argues argument assumptions attempt become called Chapter claim codes cognitive communication concepts concerned consciousness consequences consider construct context course critics death definition describes determined discourse effect entirely essay example excuse exist experience explain express fact fiction figural function given gives grammar hearer Hegel human idea implicatures impossible inferential insists intentions interpretation involves irony knowledge language linguistic literal literary literature logic Lucy Man’s meaning merely metaphor mind nature necessarily never notion object original particular performative poem poetic poetry positing possible potential pragmatic present principle propositional question quotes reader reading reference referential relation relevance theory representations Resistance reveal rhetoric Rousseau seems semantic sense sentence signifier speaker speaking specific speech structure suggests things thought translation tropes truth turn understanding utterance words Wordsworth writes