Online Lecture September 2024: Sophie Marnette

Imagine a text that does not quote or refer to anybody’s speech or thoughts… A few examples come to mind: technical texts such as scientific papers, legal documents, instruction manuals and textbooks may not contain any. But if we try to imagine a narrative - oral or written - or an argumentative discourse (press article, political discussion, etc.) without any speech or thought presentation, it is difficult to think of an example. Indeed the way we perceive a story, the reasons we do (or do not) empathise with the narrator or the characters, the bases on which we do (or do not) find a story realistic or entertaining are largely dependent on the way speech and thoughts are presented in the narrative, be it a novel, the story of our last holiday misadventures or even a good joke. And the same is true for our ability to present our arguments in a discussion or for our willingness to give credit to a journalist’s reporting.