Thesis (M.A.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Arts - Department of English

This study sheds light on the role linguistic analysis plays in exploring power conflict and resolution in Edward Albee{u2019}s Who{u2019}s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1973). The analysis of power play, i.e. power conflict and resolution, in the selected play draws on tools from conversation analysis and pragmatics to provide a balanced understanding of the characterization and the plot in dramatic discourse. It is a qualitative eclectic approach to the linguistic study of dramatic discourse, especially the concept of power as a means of dominance and oppression rather than communication. This research is motivated by one fundamental question which is 2what does the suggested model of analysis of power play reveal about the characterization and plot in the selected play?3 The pragma-stylistic analysis of power conflict and resolution with reference to the proposed model of analysis can lead to a better understanding of such literary aspects as plot and characterization, especially in dramatic discourse. This eclectic model of analysis can be accessible for many researchers and students as it is not complicated and does not need students to major in linguistics. It is expected from this model to offer insights into how the analysis of power play can enhance the understanding of dramatic discourse

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