The Elements of Metacommunication in Whereabouts

M. K. Rath, I. Nayak

2023

Abstract

The present study is based on the theoretical framework of metacommunication. Metacommunication takes place when a linguistic text generates indirect or ulterior meaning. In a literary text such as poetry or fiction, which thrives on metacommunication, there are several ways of conveying meaning without using explicit statements of facts and feelings. in fact, the more a literary work suggests than it describes or conceals than it reveals, the more it appeals to the readers. In other words, the beauty of a literary work lies in its implications than direct information. Therefore, all great literary texts have in them combined elements of metacommunication. From action patterns of characters to the instrumental music in the background, many aspects of a fictional work can feature several elements of metacommunication. The literary text selected for the present study is Whereabouts, the latest novel authored by Jhumpa Lahiri, a renowned fictionist. First, an attempt has been made to identify all the elements of metacommunication in the selected text. Second, an in-depth analysis of those elements has been done with citation of textual evidences using the Discourse/ Content analysis method.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Rath M. and Nayak I. (2023). The Elements of Metacommunication in Whereabouts. In Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies - Volume 1: PAMIR; ISBN 978-989-758-687-3, SciTePress, pages 847-850. DOI: 10.5220/0012514900003792

in Bibtex Style

@conference{pamir23,
author={M. K. Rath and I. Nayak},
title={The Elements of Metacommunication in Whereabouts},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies - Volume 1: PAMIR},
year={2023},
pages={847-850},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0012514900003792},
isbn={978-989-758-687-3},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 1st Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies - Volume 1: PAMIR
TI - The Elements of Metacommunication in Whereabouts
SN - 978-989-758-687-3
AU - Rath M.
AU - Nayak I.
PY - 2023
SP - 847
EP - 850
DO - 10.5220/0012514900003792
PB - SciTePress