Drama: Stylistic Aspects

The stylistics of drama is the linguistic description and interpretation of play-texts. The keystone of the field must be the recognition that the language of play-texts constitutes a distinctive genre worthy of analysis in its own right; that is to say, play-texts should not be taken as simply a 'dramatic poem' or as a reflection of 'real life' spoken conversation. Play-texts are framed by a characteristic discourse structure and are largely constituted by dialogue, through which character is constructed. But they also include quasinarratorial devices (e.g., some stage directions) and monologic discourse (e.g., soliloquies). They have a controversial relationship with theatrical performance.