论侦探小说中的侦探话语的谎言测定
关键词 话语分析 语境分析 肢体语言
毕 业 论 文 外 文 摘 要
Title Lie Detection in Detective Fictions
Abstract
This paper endeavors to discuss how to determine lie detection in detective fictions, taking three of the most famous works written by Agatha Christie for data------Death on the Nile, The ABC murder, In the Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Methodologically, the research will use conversation analysis, together with body language. In order to find out how to distinguish truth in conversation, this paper analyzes context of conversation and body language, throughout data in three books. This paper finds that the context of conversation between detectives and suspects is crucial in judging criminals, and body language benefits most for revealing lies. The integration of the two helps determine lie detection, ultimately contributing to catching criminals.
Keywords conversation analysis context of conversation body language
Table of Contents
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Agatha Christie and her works 1
1.2 Research Questions 5
2 Literature Review 5
2.1 Language , Truth and Conversation 7
2.2 Lie Detection 8
3 Theoretical Framework and Methodology 10
3.1 Theory: Conversation Analysis 10
3.2 Methodology 12
4. Conversation Analysis Approach to Lie Detection in Detective Fictions 12
4.1 The Context of Conversation 13
4.2 Body Language in the Interpretation of Meaning 16
Conclusion 20
Acknowledgements 21
Bibliography 22
1 Introduction
This paper is going to research lie detection in detective fictions. It will study the linguistic approach to lie detection based on three novels by Agatha Christie. It is found that detectives always integrate conversation analysis with other factors——context of conversation and body language, to detect lies.
Compared with serious novels, detective fictions should be classified into a different group. The purposes of detective novels are mainly for entertainment. Since mankind has always been keen to solve a riddle, detective stories appeal right to human desire. Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie are shinning stars as detective novelists, among whom particularly Agatha Christie is honored as ‘mistress of mystery’ (Qiang Zhaohong, 2007). Agatha Christie plays a very important role in the history of detective fictions.
1.1 Agatha Christie and her works
Agatha Christie(1890•1976),is known as an English novelist, dramatis, autobiographer ,and first and foremost, a detective story writer. Christie wrote nearly one hundred mysteries during her career, as well as numerous short stories, romances, plays and poems. However, her writing career has close relationship with her childhood life.
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay, Devon, England, UK. Agatha described herself as having had a very happy childhood. While she never received any formal schooling, she did not lack an education. Her mother believed children should not learn to read until they were eight, but Agatha taught herself to read at four. Her father taught her mathematics via story problems, and the family played question-and-answer games much like today's Trivial Pursuit. She had piano lessons, which she liked, and dance lessons, which she did not. When she could not learn French through formal instruction, the family hired a young woman who spoke nothing but French to be her nanny and companion. Agatha made up stories from a very early age and invented a number of imaginary friends and paracosms. One of them, “The School”, with a dozen or so imaginary young women of widely varying temperaments, lasted well into her adult years (Agatha, 1993).