A Pragmastylistic Study On The Relationship Between Stage Directions And Dialogues Of Drama

Drama stylistics is a relatively new interdisciplinary area of study. To date, various theories oflinguistics, especially pragmatics and discourse analysis, have been effectively exploited to analyzethe dramatic texts in order to find out how aesthetic values are achieved through the use of language,with attention to its main components of both dialogues and stage directions. In this sense, itdeserves a potentially productive prospect. However, how stage directions and dialogues interactwith each other has not been specified yet. Herein lies the intention of this present study.In order to reveal the relationship between stage directions and dialogues, I have made twoattempts in this paper. For one thing, I have proposed some theoretical preliminaries andassumptions in Chapter Three. For another, I have concluded their concrete interactions byanalyzing various types of excerpts, with resort to theories from pragmastylistics in Chapter Four.As regards the first attempt, I firstly argue that stage directions and dialogues should be treatedequally. Secondly, I clarify that a pragmastylistic study means utilizing pragmatics-relevant theoriesand treating the revelation of aesthetic values as the purpose. Thirdly, I put forward triangleconstructions of drama to show how stage directions and dialogues are mutually modified for thecomplete construction of aesthetic values. Finally, I classify stage directions into stage descriptionsand performance directions. Stage descriptions can be subdivided into character-oriented stagedescriptions (CSD) and environment-oriented stage descriptions (ESD); and performance directionscan be subdivided into character-oriented performance directions (CPD) and environment-orientedperformance directions (EPD).As regards the second attempt, I have managed to reveal the relationship between stagedirections and dialogues by formulating a framework of three diagrams. It consists of four sections.For the first two sections where the first diagram is based, I attempt to reveal the relationshipbetween stage descriptions and dialogues with resort to inference drawing. As a result, I concludethat stage descriptions serve as“potential premises”for dialogues; and this relationship is thenfurther divided into“embellishment”and“supplementation”. I also conclude that stage descriptionsgenerally provide“fundamental”situational and contextual contexts while dialogues mainly providelinguistic contexts. In the third section, I elaborate on the relationship between CPD and dialogues.Consequently, I conclude that CPD and dialogues can be mutually“dramatized”and“intensified”;according to whether CPD have to be embedded in dialogues on stage, this relationship is furtherdivided into“embedment”and“independence”. Besides, I conclude that CPD generally provide“evolutionary”situational and contextual contexts. The second diagram is thus constructed. For the last section where the third diagram is based, I propose that EPD will definitely deliver theirperlocutionary forces to corresponding dialogues; and with inference drawing, I prove that therelationship between EPD and dialogues is that EPD dramatize dialogues and dialogues intensifyEPD as feedback. In addition, I also clarify that the contexts of EPD can be optionally fundamentalor evolutionary, depending upon whether they are gradually enhanced in the ensuing texts.The significance of this paper lies in its contributions to drama stylistics in the following threeaspects: firstly, it has drawn sufficient attention to both stage directions and dialogues in order tomake the stylistic analysis of drama a complete or exhaustive one; secondly, it has provided stagedescriptions and performance directions for the classification of stage directions according to theirdifferent influence on dialogues; thirdly, it has successfully revealed the relationship between stagedirections and dialogues with a framework of three diagrams, which provides a novel perspectivefor the revelation of aesthetic values as well as drama criticism and appreciation.