Scientific Adviser

THE PICULIARITIES OF TEXT CATEGORIES REALIZATION

IN THE CONTEXT OF “DAISY MILLER”,

A STORY BY HENRY JAMES

Project Paper

by Maria Marchenko

student of

Foreign Philology Faculty

Group 11 E/G

Scientific Adviser

Victoria Ivanivna Solyanik

Assistant professor

Kharkiv - 2011

The material of the present investigation is a story “Daisy Miller” by Henry James, the genre of the present story is love affair [1].

The present work is done in the aspect of Text Linguistics. Text Linguistics is the text discipline that studies text. Object of the Text Linguistics is text, the subject is represented with text categories, that is parameters of the text. Artistic text has at least eleven text categories. Ten text categories: Continuum, Informativeness, Articulation, Cohesion, Modality, Retrospection, Prospection, Autosemantics, Integration and Completeness were considered by the scientist Galperin I. R. in his work “Text as an object of linguistic research” [2].

Besides ten categories determined by Galperin I.R., there has been defined one more text category by Nikolina N. A. in her work “Philological Text Analysis” that represents the variation of Autosemantics – it is Intertextuality [3].

Every text category can be realized explicitly (verbally) and implicitly (nonverbally). Explicit realization of text category can be in the form of three types of context, they are description, narration and meditation. Context that combines all of them is called syncretic [2].

These eleven text categories have been revealed in the context of “Daisy Miller”. They were observed in 345 fragments (100%) of the context.

Continuum is a text category that represents actual time and place connection. Time and place are first of all philosophic categories, so continuum is a text category of philosophic origin. Each text category has deictic means of realization, deictic means of continuum are interrogative pronouns “when” and “where” [2].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly, for example,

Two days afterwards he went off with her to the Castle of Chillon [1, p. 48].

In these passage time and place are represented. This text category is mainly realized by descriptive type of context.

On the whole the author operates with this text category 185 times (26,2%).

Informativeness is a text category that represents information. Information is what is new, new facts. In the artistic text there are 2 types of Informativeness:

1. Plot Informativeness represents new facts in the plot of the context, it realized in chain of events;

2. Cognitive Informativeness that represents new facts of general knowledge that can go out of the context [2].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly. For example, in the context of “Daisy Miller” the protagonist Daisy Miller was very sociable person, she was very handsome young girl, she could make acquaintance very easy, she liked ancient castles very much etc.

The recipient can learn some general facts from this story. For example, Rome and Florence are Italian cities, Pincio is public park in Rome etc.

This text category is mainly realized by narrative type of context.

In general the author operates with this text category 88 times (12,4%).

Articulation is a text category that represents context subdivision into logical parts such as paragraphs, chapters, volumes etc. Each logical part has its definite quintessence [2].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly. For example, the chapter 3 differs from the chapter 2 by place of main action, first in Vevey and then in Rome, and presence of different characters of the story.

On the whole the author operates with this text category 4 times (0,6%).

Cohesion is a text category that realizes cause-sequence connections in the context of each articulated unit as well as between articulated units. Deictic means may be represented with conjunctions as: because, as, so, why (interrogative pronoun) [2]. This text category is mainly realized explicitly, for example:

“I wish to beg you to cease your relations with Miss Miller – not to flirt with her – to give her no further opportunity to expose herself – to let her alone, in short.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that ”, said Winterbourne. “ I like her extremely. ” [1, p. 79 - 80]

This text category is mainly realized by narrative type of context.

In general the author operates with this text category 120 times (17,1%).

Modality is a psychological parameter of text. This text category reveals all sorts of relation and attitudes. There are 2 types of Modality:

1. Objective Modality which reveals the relation of the context to reality, it is always realized because the text exists in reality.

2. Subjective Modality reveals attitudes (negative and positive) in the context in particular the author’s attitude to characters, characters’ attitude to each other, attitude to some problems, phenomena etc. Deictic means of explicit Subjective Modality can be such verbs as: to love – to hate, to like – to dislike, to trust, to believe, to detest; modal verbs, some adjectives (well, fine, bad, good, ugly etc) [2].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly, for example, this passage represents positive attitude of one of the protagonist to another,

“Mrs. Walker, you are too perfect,” she said [1, p. 66].

And in the next passage there is an example of negative attitude can be observed,

“ I think you have made a mistake,” said Winterbourne. “You should sometimes listen to a gentleman – the right one.” [1, p. 70]

This text category is mainly realized by meditative type of context.

On the whole the author operates with this text category 258 times (36,5%).

Retrospection is a text category that refers the context to the past (to the repetition), to what has already been mentioned before, it is realized by means of cohesion. The deictic means of Retrospection may be reflected in the idea the phrase “to be back” [2].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly, for example,

But Randolph immediately added, “My father’s in Schenectady. He’s got a big business. My father’s rich, you bet.” [1, p. 19]

“I don’t know whether you know we reside in Schenectady. ” [1, p. 60]

This text category is mainly realized by narrative type of context.

In general the author operates with this text category 22 times (3%).

Prospection is a text category that refers the context to the possible future. If it is realized in the future, Prospection is sided in a unit with Retrospection. In this pair Prospection and Retrospection are connected with each other by means of Cohesion. Prospection starts to operate from the very beginning of the text (that is title – it is a compressed context, quintessence of the whole book). When the whole book is read, the recipient may address the title again to perceive the context better, so it is realized by means of Retrospection [2].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly, for example,

The young man was not in business, but he had engagements which? Within a day or two, would force him to go back to Geneva [1, p. 53].

This text category is mainly realized by meditative type of context.

In general the author operates with this text category 12 times (1,7%).

Autosemantics is a text category that represents autonomy of some facts which break horizontal context that is general cohesion of the context (sensemantics).

Autonomy can appear, because of the break of actual continuum, because the source of information is different (somebody’s thoughts, critical remarks, lyrical digression etc.).

Deictic means of Autosemantics can be graphical such as brackets, dashes, quotation marks, separate paragraph [2].

This text category is mainly realized implicitly, for instant,

Certainly she was very charming, but how deucedly sociable! [1, p. 23 – 24].

This text category is mainly realized by meditative type of context.

In general the author operates with this text category 8 times (1,1%).

Vertical context is a context phenomenon created as a result of autonomic fragments connection into logical chain. It can cut the horizontal context one articulated unit and be realized by means of Cohesion. Vertical context can be observed at the level of the whole text sensemantious connecting autonomic fragments of many (all) articulated units with each other by means of Retrospection and Prospection. Vertical context that operates at the level of the whole text creates the polyphony as its comprising element as well as horizontal context [2].

Certainly she was very charming, but how deucedly sociable! [1, p. 23 – 24].

“Damn his god looks!” [1, p. 72].

These passage represents thoughts of one main character, but about different people.

There was no observed vertical context in the text of the book.

Intertextuality is defined by Nicolina N.A. as a text category reveals intertext, i.e. context borrowed from some different text, which was primary. There are three forms of Intertextuality. Quotation represents literal context borrowed from some different text, it is always explicit and marked with deictic means, which are inverted commas. Allusion is usually represents with proper names borrowed from some other texts, these names create typical image. Reminiscence represents something in the plot that reminds some different text [3].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly, for example,

“And what is the evidence you have offered?” asked Winterbourne, rather annoyed at Miss Miller’s want of appreciation of the zeal of an admirer who on his way down to Rome had stopped neither at Bologna nor at Florence, simply because of a certain sentimental impatience [1, p. 63].

This text category is realized by different types of context.

On the whole the author operates with this text category 3 times (0,4%).

Integration is a text category that operates through each articulated unit of context and represents the connection of the beginning and the end into this unit by means of Cohesion [2].

This text category is mainly realized implicitly, for instant, in chapter 2

“To prove that I believe it, I am going to take her to the Chateau de Chillon.” [1, p. 33]

In the evening Winterbourne mentioned to Mrs. Costello that he had spent the afternoon at Chillon, with Miss Daisy Miller [1, p. 55].

This text category is realized by different types of context.

In general the author operates with this text category 4 times (0,6%)/

Completeness is a text category that operates similar to Intergration but at the level of the whole text. The text is completed when its beginning and its end are logically connected on the whole. Completeness provides understanding of both – the text theme and the text idea. Theme is usually realized explicitly and the idea may be realized implicitly [2].

This text category is mainly realized explicitly, for example, in the chapter 1 we meet main characters Frederic Winterbourne and Miss Daisy Miller in the town of Vevey in Switzerland in summer, where they had made the acquaintance, also we learn that before coming to Vevey to visit his aunt, Winterbourne had been living for a long time in Geneva. And at the end of the last chapter the protagonist Frederic Winterbourne again was in Vevey in summer with his aunt and they were talking again about Miss Miller, and at last he came back to live in Geneva. Thus in this book Completeness is realized by means of Continuum.

This text category is realized by different types of context.

On the whole the author operates with this text category 3 times (

The present research has revealed some peculiarities of text category realization in the context of “Daisy Miller” love affair by Henry James. In particular Modality is a dominative text category what represents sychological approach to the problem. That is the author wanted to emphasis on all the refinements of human relations. Henry James also wanted to show the contrast of conservative human nature of people who like to criticize the others and romantic one which is familiar for people with a great deal of imagination and dreaminess.

On the whole, the context of this short story is syncretic, though the meditative type of context is dominative that represents emotional approach to the problem of human relations.

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