The Language of Life and Death: The Transformation of Experience in Oral Narrative

by William Labov

Overview

We share the experience of others through the stories they tell of the crucial events in their lives. This book provides a rich range of narratives that grip the reader's attention together with an analysis of how it is done. While remaining true to the facts, narrators use linguistic devices to present themselves in the best possible light and change the listener's perception of who is to blame for what has occurred. William Labov extends his widely used framework for narrative analysis to matters of greatest human concern: the danger of death, violence, premonitions, and large-scale community conflicts. The book also examines traditional epic and historical texts, from Herodotus and the Old Testament to Macaulay, showing how these literary genres draw upon the techniques of personal narratives. Not only relevant to students of narratology, discourse and sociolinguistics, this book will be rewarding reading for anyone interested in the human condition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781107656819
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

William Labov is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the language of life and death; 2. Narrative analysis; 3. The escalation of violence; 4. Confrontations with death; 5. Premonitions and communication with the dead; 6. Margie Knott: her confrontation with the neighbors; 7. Gloria Stein: 'They stoned the house'; 8. Rose Norman: the death of her younger sister; 9. Mary Costa: the death of her youngest daughter; 10. Cache County; 11. The vernacular origin of epic style; 12. Historians' use of narrative; 13. Thomas Babington Macaulay: the death of Monmouth; 14. S. T. Bindoff: the death of Elizabeth; 15. 2 Samuel: the death of Absalom; 16. The narrative view of death and life.

Editorial Reviews

'Erudite, thoughtful and personal, an engaging book to be read and pondered, as much for the fundamental issues raised and the fascinating data analyzed as for the solutions offered.' Neal R. Norrick, Saarland University

'Labov’s vision of our human desire to make sense of the most terrible and terrifying of our experiences is remarkable, panoramic, and a poignant tribute to the value of listening to each other keenly.' Alyssa McCabe, Journal of Sociolinguistics

From the Publisher