Speech Act Theory and the Concept of Intention in Literary Criticism

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to trace the outline of a speech act theory of literature, taking into account the work of critics who react against the prevailing anti-intentionalist schools of criticism, such as the New Criticism, some versions of structuralism, and deconstruction. The intentionalist critics prepare the ground for a theory of literary discourse considered as a speech act, since it is known that the concept of intention is central to the analysis of speech acts. Such a theory of literary discourse should not overlook the role played by criticism in expanding the meaning of a text, and should go beyond a narrow definition of interpretation as the identification of the author's intention.

Keywords: Literary theory, Pragmatics, Speech Acts, Speech Act theory, Intention, Intentionalism