Topic 12 - Meaning between the lines (Session A) > Top Girls

Top Girls

On this page we are going to look at an extract from Top Girls by Caryl Churchill , and use the Gricean analysis we have been learning about in this topic to explore the 'meaning between the lines' in the conversation- the unstated but nonetheless understood meanings, character attitudes etc. that we can perceive 'behind' or 'underneath' what is said. We won't look at every single turn because that would take too long. But by the time you finish the tasks on this page you should be able to see how you can use Gricean, and other forms of analysis, on all turns and turn-combinations in a text to build up an analytical picture of what is going on in it in interpretative terms.

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