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The development of free indirect constructions in Dutch novels

Clement, Marja (2014). The development of free indirect constructions in Dutch novels. Journal of Literary Semantics, 43(2):127-141.

Abstract

Why is the free indirect style such a useful narrative means to portray characters’ minds in fictional texts? This article gives more insight into this phenomenon
by analyzing texts from earlier times. Previous studies state that the free indirect style for the representation of thoughts emerged in Dutch literary prose in the 19th century. However, this article shows that the roots of this technique were already present in 17th century Dutch popular literature novels. The analysis of these novels provides us with more insight into this phenomenon.
Before the emergence of free indirect style, the most common form for the representation of a character’s consciousness was direct discourse. The suggestion
that the character is ‘thinking out loud’ makes this thought representation unnatural, as emotions and feelings are often pre-verbal and wordless. Free indirect
style gives the narrator the possibility to formulate that which the character cannot put into words. The free indirect style allows the author to merge descriptions
of events and actions with the character’s inner life, feelings, questions and wishes without a change in the narrative style when it comes to personal pronouns
and tense.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:06 Faculty of Arts > Institute of German Studies
Dewey Decimal Classification:430 German & related languages
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > Language and Linguistics
Social Sciences & Humanities > Linguistics and Language
Social Sciences & Humanities > Literature and Literary Theory
Uncontrolled Keywords:free indirect style, early Dutch fiction, thought-representation
Language:English
Date:2014
Deposited On:21 Jan 2015 10:27
Last Modified:12 Nov 2024 02:39
Publisher:De Gruyter
ISSN:0341-7638
OA Status:Green
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1515/jls-2014-0009
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