The Language of Suspense in Crime Fiction

The Language of Suspense in Crime Fiction

Reshmi Dutta-Flanders The Language of Suspense in Crime Fiction A Linguistic Stylistic Approach

Reshmi Dutta-Flanders English Language and Linguistics School of European Culture and Languages University of Kent Canterbury, UK ISBN 978-1-137-47027-0 DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-47028-7 ISBN 978-1-137-47028-7 (ebook) Library of Congress Control Number: 2016962740 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover image Caspar Benson / Getty Images Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Macmillan Publishers Ltd. The registered company address is: The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom

To the late Professor Lawrence Goldstein who gave me the opportunity to resume my career in Linguistic Stylistics.

Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following Lecturers and Senior Lecturers at University of Kent for providing me with their own insights and astute observations on crime studies: Dr Marian Duggan in Criminology and Dr Will Norman in American Studies. Dr Tony Bex, both from English Language and Linguistics, for helping me with his helpful suggestions at the early stages of my writing and to Dr Vikki Janke with taking interest in my progress. Without the support of my department and Head of School Professor Shane Weller for providing me with my honorary fellowship, I would not have been able to continue with my book and complete it. My thanks also go to all Associate Lecturers from different disciplines at the postgraduate offices for their lively debate and challenging discussions at various stages of my writing. vii

Contents 1 Introduction 1 Bibliography 4 2 Manipulated Context 5 2.1 Introduction 5 2.2 Context Function 8 2.3 Frame Analysis (FA) 15 2.4 Distortion in Plot Sequence 20 2.4.1 Manipulated Context: The Classification 24 2.4.2 Discourse Referent: The Classification 27 2.5 The Processing of Manipulated Context (MC) 28 2.5.1 Manipulated Context: Case Study The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 30 2.5.2 The Principle of Relevance: Case Study The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 36 2.5.3 Manipulated Context: Case Study Cover Her Face 43 2.5.4 Manipulated Context: Case Study The Good Soldier 48 2.5.5 The Principle of Relevance: Case Study The Good Soldier 58 ix

x Contents 2.6 Microcontexts: Scenarios (Case Study: The Good Soldier) 68 2.7 Conclusion 70 Appendix 2a 72 Frame Analysis: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Ackroyd), 1993 72 Frame analysis (FA) 73 Appendix 2b 84 The first story of crime 85 Appendix 2c 90 Frame Analysis (FA): Cover Her Face (CHF), 1974 90 Frame analysis (FA) 91 Appendix 2d 98 Frame Analysis (FA): Moser (2008) 98 Frame Analysis (FA) 99 Maisie Maidan s death scenario (pp. 85 88) 107 Appendix 2e 126 Manipulated Contexts (murder mystery) 126 Bibliography 133 3 Double Function 137 3.1 Introduction 137 3.2 The Double Function (DF) Principle 144 3.3 Storyworlds: Inter diegesis Space in the Narrated World 147 3.4 Narrative Act: Narrating Discourse and Narrated Discourse 150 3.5 Storyworld Analysis 157 3.5.1 Case Study: Storyworld for Offender Dr. Sheppard 157 3.5.2 Case Study: Storyworld for Offender Mrs. Maxie 171 3.5.3 Case Study: Storyworld for Abettor Dowell 175 3.6 Conclusion 183 Bibliography 185

Contents xi 4 Disposition 187 4.1 Introduction 187 4.2 Story Resolved, a Criminal Revealed 190 4.3 Villains: Their Contextual Background 193 4.4 Framework: The Grammar of Experience 200 4.4.1 Experiential Function: Transformational Outcome 200 4.4.2 Interpersonal Function: Passivity and Modality 209 4.4.3 Referential and Evaluative Function: Truth-Value 217 4.5 Findings: Linguistic Dysfunctions 224 4.5.1 Perpetrator: Bud Corliss 227 4.5.2 Villain: Raven 237 4.5.3 Perpetrator: Ripley 247 4.5.4 Offender: Mrs. Maxie 261 4.5.5 Offender: Dr. Sheppard 265 4.5.6 Abettor: Dowell 269 4.6 Conclusion 275 Appendix 4a 278 Perpetrator Bud Corliss: A Kiss before Dying 278 Appendix 4b 305 Perpetrator Raven: A Gun for Sale 305 Perpetrator Raven 328 Appendix 4d 344 Offender Mrs. Eleanor Maxie: Cover Her Face 344 Perpetrator Mrs. Eleanor Maxie: Cover Her Face 353 Appendix 4e 360 Perpetrator Dr. Sheppard: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 360 Perpetrator Dr. Sheppard: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 364 Appendix 4f 367 Abettor John Dowell: The Good Soldier 367 Abettor John Dowell: The Good Soldier 379 Appendix 4g 391 Offender, Perpetrator Engagement Discourses 391 Bibliography 405

xii Contents 5 Orientation 409 5.1 Introduction 409 5.2 Hypothesis: Narrating-I, Narrating-He and Experiencing Self 416 5.3 Offender Texts: The Characteristics 418 5.4 The Framework: Orientation Techniques 419 5.4.1 Orientation in Behavioral Science 420 5.4.2 Orientation in Modal Senses 420 5.4.3 Counterfactual Implicature 424 5.4.4 Hypothetical Implicature 427 5.4.5 Binary Pair of Events: Hypotheticality in Counterfactual Inferences 428 5.5 Findings: Counterfactual Recount and Hypothetical Utterance 428 5.5.1 A Counterfactual Context 429 5.5.2 A Hypothetical Context 439 5.6 Conclusion 446 Appendix 5 448 Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer: The Death Row Interviews (2005) 448 The Diary of Jack the Ripper: The chilling confessions of James Maybrick (2010) 450 Bibliography 454 6 Contrasting Mind-styles 457 6.1 Introduction 457 6.2 Framework: Image-Structure-Mapping 460 6.3 Text and Hypothesis: Fictional World 462 6.4 Analysis: Contrasting Mind-styles 466 6.5 Conclusion 472 Bibliography 473 Conclusion 475 Bibliography 479 Index 493

List of Abbreviations DF DR DS DT FA FIT or FIS IS MC NO PoR SW Double function Discourse referent Direct speech Direct thought Frame analysis Free indirect thought or Free indirect speech Indirect speech Manipulated context Narrative object Principle of relevance Storyworld xiii

List of Figures Fig. 2.1 Discourse referent: Ackroyd 32 Fig. 2.2 The concealer s PoR (Dr. S) 40 Fig. 2.3 The revelator s PoR (RP) 40 Fig. 2.4 Discourse referent: The Good Soldier (TGS) 55 Fig. 2.5 The abettor perspective: Dowell 62 Fig. 2.6 The victim perspective: Dowell 63 Fig. 3.1 Tense forms in HP 147 Fig. 3.2 Narrator intervention 153 Fig. 4.1 Linear and non-linear model 202 Fig. 4.2 Ergative transitive constellation 205 Fig. 4.3 Modal system 210 Fig. 4.4 Narrative categories 210 Fig. 4.5 The modal schema 215 xv

List of Tables Table 3.1 Storyworld reference points 154 Table 3.2 The character in speech (S) and thought (T) 155 Table 3.3 Storyworlds in Ackroyd 159 Table 3.4 Storyworlds in CHF 161 Table 3.5 Storyworlds in TGS 162 Table 4.1 Double analysis 203 Table 4.2 Modal tendencies in narrative categories: A (homodiegetic) B (heterodiegetic); N narrator, R reflector 211 Table 4.3 Syntactic devices to undercut agency 212 xvii