ENGL 102W Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Free Indirect Speech, Frank Churchill
14 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
Free indirect speech is a technique closely related to free indirect discourse, except that instead of representing thought, it represents speech. Like free indirect discourse, free indirect speech relies on a narrator to represent speech indirectly using language and phrasing similar to that of the character whose speech is being represented. Austen also uses free indirect speech, often to subtly mock the speaker, or to create a sense of distance. The most noteworthy example of free indirect speech in emma is the strawberry-picking scene shortly before the trip to box hill: This passage is very cinematic in its effect. It filters mrs. elton"s running commentary through emma"s perspective; the dashes and disjointed comments show us how. Emma is tuning in and out of the conversation. The discussion this week has been heavy on precise detail about austen"s style. Next week, we will start to think through some of the social implications of these detailed readings.
