NARRATIVE STRATEGIES OF MANIFESTING INTRIGUE IN AN ENGLISH POLITICAL THRILLER
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/gph2026.858-859.36-44Keywords:
narrative strategy, intrigue, linguopragmatics, narrative tension, information gap, cognitive modelAbstract
The present study explores the verbal manifestation of intrigue in the exposition of Shall We Tell the President? by Jeffrey Archer, focusing on narrative-pragmatic mechanisms that shape the reader’s perception of suspense in a political thriller. Intrigue is interpreted not as a random set of stylistic devices but as a coherent multi-level strategy guiding the reader’s attention and interpretation.
The theoretical framework combines narratology and pragmalinguistics with elements of deconstruction, particularly Jacques Derrida’s concept of différance. From this perspective, the text is viewed as lacking a fixed semantic center, while intrigue functions as a mechanism that delays meaning and sustains interpretative anticipation and cognitive engagement over time.
The analysis reveals that intrigue operates across interconnected levels. At the temporal level (about 20% of the fragments), precise time markers transform linear narration into a suspenseful countdown. At the lexico-semantic level, marked vocabulary related to secrecy, anonymity, and disrupted expectations prevails. Negative constructions and deictic markers signal hidden threats without explicit naming, while the discourse of “mask” and professional mistrust enhances uncertainty. Physiological reactions and communicative gaps demonstrate that silence often conveys more meaning than speech. Onomastic intrigue, realized through pseudonymous “mask-names,” creates semantic ambiguity around key figures and reinforces narrative tension.
The study shows that even linguistically neutral units may function as markers of danger within the genre, forming a specific hermeneutic code. The predominance of the informational reduction strategy (35%) intensifies reader engagement and sustains suspense throughout the exposition.
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References
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