The Fictions of Language and the Languages of Fiction

Fludernik provides a detailed analysis of free indirect discourse as it relates to narrative theory and the problem of how speech and thought are represented in fiction. She opens up a new set of questions in narrative theory.
Monika Fludernik presents a detailed analysis of free indirect discourse, as it relates to narrative theory and the representation of speech and thought in fiction. Building on the insights of Ann Banfield's "Unspeakable Sentences", Fludernick extends Banfield's model to accommodate evidence from conversational narrative, non-fictional prose and literary works from Chaucer to the present. Fludernick's model subsumes earlier insights into the forms and functions of quotation and aligns them with discourse strategies observable in the oral language. She also introduces English readers to extensive work on the subject in German and compares the free indirect discourse features of English, French and German. The study effectively repositions the whole area between literature and linguistics, opening up a new set of questions in narrative theory. The author draws on a vast range of literature, and on this basis alone, the book should be an invaluable resource for researchers in the field.