Discourse Analysis of Lord of the Flies

A Systemic Functional Approach

Bibliographic Data

ID22105686
AuthorsTianyue Wang (0000-0002-1037-1935, Nanjing Normal University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume09
Issue03
Pages114-126
Publication date2021-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAdvances in Literary Study (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2327-4034 • E-ISSN: 2327-4050
PublisherScientific Research Publishing, Inc. (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.4236/als.2021.93013
OpenAlexW3170370129
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited4

This study used a systemic functional linguistic approach to interpret the theme of Lord of the Flies, an allegorical novel written by British writer William Golding. On the basis of the clause, this research analyzed the author’s ways of writing and interpreted the functional meanings he tried to convey through the wording and structure of the novel. Excerptions from Lord of the Flies were analyzed in terms of the three metafunctions of language, namely, ideational function, interpersonal function, and textual function. More specifically, the current study focused on the author’s lexico-grammatical choices in the transitivity system, mood system, and thematic structure of the clauses and revealed that different choices encode different meanings, all contributing to the manifestation of the theme: without proper constraints, human’s inner evil will be magnified indefinitely and their reversion to savagery will be inevitable

Biology · Epistemology · Grammar · Interpersonal communication · Linguistics · Sociology · Systemic functional grammar · Systemic functional linguistics · Thematic structure · Transitive relation · Communication · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Literary Theory and Cultural Hermeneutics · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychology

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