Routledge Revivals Unspeakable Sentences First published in 1982, this title grew from a series of essays on var- ious aspects of narrative style; the result is a finished product that melds literary theory with linguistic methodology. It is argued that, where linguistic theory intersects with literary theory, it is narrative that provides the crucial ‘experiment’ for deciding between a commu- nication and a non-communication theory of language and, by exten- sion, of literature. Chapters discuss such areas as subjectivity in direct and indirect speech, the absence of the narrator, and the development of narrative style. With a detailed introduction to the subject, this reissue will be of value to students of linguistics and literature with a particular interest in narrative style and linguistic theory. This page intentionally left blank Unspeakable Sentences Narration and Representation in the Language of Fiction Ann Banfield Firstpublishedin1982 byRoutledge&KeganPaulLtd Thiseditionfirstpublishedin2015byRoutledge 2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,Oxon,OX144RN andbyRoutledge 711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017 RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness ©1982AnnBanfield The right of Ann Banfield to be identified as author of this work has been assertedbyherinaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,Designs andPatentsAct1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now knownor hereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orin any informationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthe publishers. Publisher’sNote Thepublisherhasgonetogreatlengthstoensurethequalityofthisreprintbut pointsoutthatsomeimperfectionsintheoriginalcopiesmaybeapparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondencefromthosetheyhavebeenunabletocontact. ALibraryofCongressrecordexistsunderLCcontrolnumber:81012094 ISBN13:978-1-138-81550-6(hbk) ISBN13:978-1-315-74660-9(ebk) Erratum p.25,line6shouldread:‘Thisshouldnotbetaken,however,asanargument againsttheneedforatransformationalcomponentinthegrammar’. Unspeakable sentences Narration and representation in the language of fiction AnnBanfield Routledge & Kegan Paul Boston, London, Melbourne and Henley First published in 1982 by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd 9 Park Street, Boston, Mass. 02108, USA 39 Store Street, London WC1E 7DD, 296 Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park, Melbourne 3206, Australia and Broadway House, Newtown Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxon RG9 1EN Set in 10 on 12 pt Press Roman by Columns, Reading, England and printed in the United States of America Copyright © Ann Banfield 1982 No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except for the quotation of brief passages in criticism Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Banfield, Ann. Unspeakable sentences. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Narration (Rhetoric) 2. Fiction-Technique. I. Title PN3383.N35B38 808.3 81-12094 ISBN 0-7100-0905-4 AACR2 To Alfred T. Banfield and Rita Simoneit Banfield This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface ix Introduction 1 1 The expression of subjectivity and the sentences of direct and indirect speech 23 2 The sentence of represented speech and thought 65 3 Communication and the sentence of discourse 111 4 The sentences of narration and discourse 141 5 The sentence representing non-reflective consciousness and the absence of the narrator 183 6 The historical development of narrative style 225 Conclusion Narration and representation: the knowledge of the clock and the lens 257 Notes 275 Bibliography 320 Name index 332 Subject index 336 vii