Филологические
науки /Риторика и стилистика
Нусипова Ж. Н.
Региональный социально – инновационный
университет, Казахстан
Defeated
Expectancy as a type of foregrounding in the literary text
Defeated expectancy is a type of
foregrounding, primarily, based on reader’s previously constructed prediction
and its violation at the end. The term was introduced by R. Jakobson and
according to him, the essence of the effect is accurately transferred in its
statement that emphasizes the reaction of the reader on something that does not
meet his expectations. This phenomenon is based on a characteristic, that is
common for the production and perception of information, and specifically, on
the prediction of subsequent actions, which represents a basic form of
"adaptation of living matter to space-time structure of the inorganic
world, where the sequence and repeatability are key timing parameters"(
Jakobson R.O., P. 26).Arnold proceeds the idea specifying that continuity,
linearity of discourse means that the occurrence of each individual element is
prepared by preceding one and it prepares the subsequent one (Arnold I.V,
1981). The reader already expects a definite end since subsequent information
is partially given in the previous one. Unexpected conclusion to a clause,
extract of the text, or the whole work makes the reader reevaluate the
narrative or characters. In other words, the effect of defeated expectancy can
be characterized as a particular part of the text where the last part is
surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader to re-frame or
reinterpret it from the beginning.
Christensen B. wrote: “"Intermittent
exasperation acts stronger than one which flows evenly, it is a universal law
of experience " (Christensen B., 1911). It
is surprising that, until recent times, scientists have barely thought about
emotions and began to study them relatively recently, in spite of the fact that
without emotions people would not perceive anything to be important or worth
attention. Books with a stronger emotional impact cause a greater desire
to read. Violation of predictability is the
basis of expressiveness. Psychologists believe that the desire to maintain
emotions dictates an active search for uncertainty, since the "fullness of
information kills the enjoyment"( Ilyin E.P., P. 62). Any work that
does not move the plot forward and causes no emotion itself is either
superfluous, or incorrectly written.
Emotions based on the reader’s cognitive responses provide the readers
with emotions, contributing to the reader’s satisfaction with the story. These
emotions can be aroused by absolute unexpectedness of the culmination. However,
if this background has elements of the low probability, there is a discontinuity,
which acts like a push: the unprepared and unexpected create resistance to
perception, the overcoming of this resistance requires much effort on the
reader’s part, produces a stronger emotional impact. For the effect of defeated
expectancy, on which the whole novel is constructed, an outcome event is
delayed until the last moment so that the reader is certain about particular
wrong end. Throughout the whole text, the reader considers himself to be an
observer watching over a distance at the course of events. At the end, during
the disclosure of the plot, the reader gets into a shock, as he understands
that he was one of the heroes of the work, trying to figure out where he
committed omissions. Over the whole work the addressee thinks that everything
is under control and he constructs particular
images of the heroes in his head. The ending makes the reader feel cheated
since all the images turned out to be false. Increased emotional arousal
affects the durability of memorizations of the event. Emotionally supported
messages are usually perceived better than just rational ones. To elicit
surprise, some significant expository information is hidden to the reader until
a surprising event occurs, which makes a knowledge gap between the reader and
some characters in the story (Hoeken,
H., van Vliet,
P. 277–286). The reader understands that throughout the whole text he
was led astray, after what he begins to re-imagine the entire text. That is to
say, this type of foregrounding creates certain advantages for the author as
the story makes the reader return to the whole text again and mentally work it
out one more time from the other view. In this regard, the entire story is
foregrounded since the addressee rereads it by far more attentively and with
the great interest than the first time, finding some specific hint of the real
plot. The history of the effect of
defeated expectancy in literature takes roots from ancient times since the
great Pliny the Younger wrote: “Book must not be looked through, but it needs
to be read and re-read”. It is necessary not to mix unexpected end and defeated expectancy since a book
with an unexpected end stimulates an easy exclamation at the end of the work
while the book with defeated expectancy causes an entrancement because of the
fact that this comprehension was wrong from the very beginning. This function
makes defeated expectancy foregrounded, as the reader has to read the story
over and over again.
The writer gives food for logical
conclusion. When the reader already knows the ending, then when looking at the
text again he realizes that he might guess it. Defeated expectancy is a process
when a person leaning on his experience, views, stereotypes builds up a picture
in his head while the author does not give an accurate picture but only
details. The researchers note that in the structure of human behavior can be
identified the ability to use the information available in his past experience
in order to forecast the upcoming situation (Benjamins. J., P. 23-40).
Literature:
1. Jakobson R.O. Language in Literature. –USA: Harvard University Press,
1987.-p. 657
2. Арнольд И.В. Стилистика
современного английского языка (стилистика декодирования),-Ленинград, 1981
3. Христиансен. Философия
искусства. – С.П: Шиповник, 1911, 258 c.
4. Ильин Е.П. Эмоции и
чувства//Механизмы возникновения эмоций. -М: «Наука», 1970- C.
224
5. Hoeken, H.,
van Vliet, M.:
Suspense, Curiosity, and
Surprise: How Discourse
Structure Influences the Affective and Cognitive Processing of a Story.
– N.Y.: Poetics, 2000.-p. 350
6. Benjamins. J. Iconicity in Language and Literature. –Philadelphia:
Helmut press, 2003.-p.98