Narrative Performances: A Study of Modern Greek Storytelling

301 Pages·1997·13.696 MB·English

by  Alexandra Georgakopoulou

NARRATIVE PERFORMANCES
Pragmatics & Beyond
New Series
Editor:
Andreas H. Jucker
(Justus Liebig University, Giessen)
Associate Editors:
Jacob L. Mey
(Odense University)
Herman Parret
(Belgian National Science Foundation, Universities of Louvain and Antwerp)
Jef Verschueren
(Belgian National Science Foundation, University of Antwerp)
Editorial Address:
Justus Liebig University Giessen, English Department
Otto-Behaghel-Strasse 10, D-35394 Giessen, Germany
Editorial Board:
Shoshana Blum-Kulka {Hebrew University of Jersalem)
Chris Butler {University College of Ripon and York)
Jean Caron {Université de Poitiers); Robyn Carston {University College London)
Bruce Fraser (Boston University); John Heritage {University of California at Los Angeles)
David Holdcroft {University of Leeds); Sachiko Ide {Japan Women's University)
Catherine Kerbrat-Orecchioni {University- of Lyon 2)
Claudia de Lemos {University of Campinas, Brasil); Marina Sbisà {University of Trieste)
Emanuel Schegloff {University of California at Los Angeles)
Paul O. Takahara {Kobe City University of Foreign Studies)
Sandra Thompson {University of California at Santa Barbara)
Teun A. Van Dijk {University of Amsterdam); Richard Watts {University of Bern)
46
Alexandra Georgakopoulou
Narrative Performances
NARRATIVE
PERFORMANCES
A STUDY OF
MODERN GREEK STORYTELLING
ALEXANDRA GEORGAKOPOULOU
Centre for Hellenic Studies
JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY
AMSTERDAM/PHILADELPHIA
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences — Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Georgakopoulou, Alexandra.
Narrative performances : a study of modern Greek storytelling / Alexandra
Georgakopoulou.
p. cm. -- (Pragmatics & beyond, ISSN 0922-842X ; new ser. 46)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Î. Storytelling-Greece. 2. Tales-Greece. 3. Folklore-Performance. I. Title. II. Series.
GR170.G42 1997
808.5'43'09495-dc21 97-8741
ISBN 90 272 5059 6 (Eur.) / 1-55619-808-6 (US) (alk. paper) CIP
© Copyright 1997 - John Benjamins B.V.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Co. • P.O.Box 75577 • 1070 AN Amsterdam • The Netherlands
John Benjamins North America • P.O.Box 27519 • Philadelphia PA 19118-0519 • USA
Contents
List of Abbreviations ix
List of Tables xi
Preface xiii
Chapter 1: Narrative in Discourse Analysis 1
1.1 Definitional criteria 2
1.2 Narrative organization 5
1.2.1 Stories and schemata 5
1.2.2 Oral narrative structure and Labov 9
1.2.3 The line and stanza structure of narratives 11
1.2.4 Narrative grounding 14
1.3 Narrative expressivity 15
1.3.1 Evaluation and post-Labovian approaches 15
1.3.2 Evaluation and global discourse structure 19
1.4 The present approach: binding-unfolding-evaluating 20
1.4.1 Constituency and binding/unfolding 23
1.4.2 Audience accommodation, storytelling and children 25
1.4.3 Narratives in context 29
Chapter 2: Stories in Everyday Conversations:
Data and Method 33
2.1 Data collection strategies and the present research design 33
2.1.1 The basic corpus 36
2.1.2 Stories in conversations: the free corpus 37
2.1.3 Stories for adults vs stories for children: an example 39
2.1.4 Supplementary corpora 41
2.2 Situational coding: storytelling initiation and recipientship 43
2.2.1 Participation structure 45
2.3 Coding for topic content 49
2.3.1 Storytelling and family bonds 49
2.3.2 Gendered themes 50
2.3.3 The childhood theme 54
2.4 Patterns of structural sophistication 54
vi
2.4.1 Coding for structural categories 58
Summary 63
Chapter 3: The Stories' Formal Structure 65
3.1 Patterns of three and narrative organization 65
3.1.1 Tripartite stanza patterning 70
3.1.2 Pattern-creating devices and narrative parts 77
3.2 Alliances of patterns 81
3.3 Supplementary corpora 83
3.3.1 Patterns of three and written narratives 83
3.3.2 Children's narratives 86
Summary 88
Chapter 4: Narrative Organisation 89
4.1 Time, space and participants in narrative 89
4.2 Connectives vs discourse markers 90
4.3 Coding of linkage relations at local'and global level 91
4.3.1 Connectives at local cohesion level 96
4.3.2 Discourse markers at global cohesion level 97
4.3.3 Temporal markers and stories for children 104
4.4 Discourse markers and the macrosegmentation of narrative parts 108
4.5 Participant tracking 110
4.5.1 Binding 110
4.6 Participant tracking and unfolding 114
4.6.1 Switch reference 114
4.6.2 Switch reference and tense shift 117
4.6.3 Characters on stage 118
4.6.3.1 The case of I-pronominal reference 119
Summary 121
Chapter 5: Encoding Subjectivity 123
5.1 Narrative performances 123
5.1.1 Narrative present and constructed dialogue: patterns of use 128
5.1.2 Reiteration devices and inter-stanza symmemtrical patterning 136
5.2 Proximity and narrative performances 141
5.2.1 Evidence 144
Interim Summary 145
vii
5.3 Performances and stories for children 146
5.4 The displaced mode of written stories 149
5.5 Audience accommodation and involvement 153
5.5.1 Involvement without dramatization 160
5.6 Summary: oral vs literate strategies of narration 161
Chapter 6: Narrative Functions and Identities in Greek Contexts 165
6.1 The indexicality of performances 165
6.1.1 Tellers' self-presentation 169
6.1.2 Group-bonding functions and the sense of community 172
6.1.3 Constructed dialogue and gender identity 175
6.1.4 Gender construction through narrative worlds 182
6.2 Audience accommodation in cultural context 186
Conclusion 191
Notes 197
Appendix I: Stories for Adults 207
Appendix II: Stories for Children 220
Appendix III: A Sample of Supplementary Corpora 228
References 235
Author index 271
Subject index 279

List of Abbreviations
BSA Basic Stories for Adults
BSC Basic Stories for Children
CA Complicating Action
CD Constructed Dialogue
DS Direct Speech
DT Direct Thought
FDS Free Direct Speech
FSA Free Stories for Adults
FSC Free Stories for Children
FDT Free Direct Thought
MG Modern Greek
NP Narrative Present
SA Stories for Adults
SC Stories for Children
WSA Written Stories for Adults
WSC Written Stories for Children