Deictic elements in kate chopin’s the story of an hour : A cognitive poeticsstylistic perspective

Abstract EN

This paper aims to explore Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour from a cognitive poetics / stylistics perspective.

The analysis emphasizes an integration of language and literature and draws upon theories developed in the general field of cognitive poetics / stylistics (Stock well 2002; Gavins and Steen 2003).

For the purposes of this research, using Stock well’s model of Deictic Shift Theory (Stock well 2002: 45-49), the analysis will investigate Chopin's use of different types of deictic expressions and shows how such use guides the reader to be involved in the text world (s), leading to a better understanding /exploration of the characters and themes.

The analysis reveals how the protagonist, Mrs.

Mallard, searches for identity, freedom and the bright future after the husband’s death.

This paper attempts to explore the text world in which a feminist character challenges the traditional view of marriage/love in a male-dominated society.

The discussion of results and the conclusion shows how traditional observations about the text combined with an analysis of deixis helps readers to create the text world of the story.