DIACHRONIC AND SYNCHRONIC APPROACHES TO FANTASY LITERATURE: A STRUCTURAL AND PRAGMALINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE
Keywords:
Fantasy literature, genre theory, diachronic approach, synchronic approach, structuralism, pragmalinguistics, implicature, humor in literature, literary communication.Abstract
This article examines diachronic and synchronic approaches to fantasy literature, arguing that historical models lead to conceptual overextension, while structural analysis offers greater precision. Drawing on Tzvetan Todorov and pragmalinguistic theory, the study demonstrates how genre conventions shape interpretation and enable humor, particularly in Terry Pratchett’s works, highlighting fantasy as a functional communicative system.
References
1. Andrew Rayment. (2014). Fantasy, politics, postmodernity: Pratchett, Pullman, Miéville and stories of the eye (Postmodern Studies, Vol. 52). Rodopi.
2. Tzvetan Todorov. (1975). The fantastic: A structural approach to a literary genre. Cornell University Press.
3. H. P. Grice. (1975). Logic and conversation. In P. Cole & J. L. Morgan (Eds.), Syntax and semantics: Vol. 3. Speech acts (pp. 41–58). Academic Press.
4.Dan Sperber, & Deirdre Wilson. (1995). Relevance: Communication and cognition (2nd ed.). Blackwell.
5.Farah Mendlesohn. (2008). Rhetorics of fantasy. Wesleyan University Press.
6.Brian Attebery. (1992). Strategies of fantasy. Indiana University Press.
7.Northrop Frye. (1957). Anatomy of criticism: Four essays. Princeton University Press.
8.Kathryn Hume. (1984). Fantasy and mimesis: Responses to reality in Western literature. Methuen.
9.Tzvetan Todorov. (1977). The poetics of prose (R. Howard, Trans.). Cornell University Press.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
