Relevance Theory and Literary Theory: Should Scientific and Critical Theories Be (Re)Conciliated?

• Autor(a) principal: Bueno, Rodrigo
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: de Saussure, Louis
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Linguagem em (Dis)curso (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://portaldeperiodicos.animaeducacao.com.br/index.php/Linguagem_Discurso/article/view/18111
• topic: Relevance Theory; Literary Theory; Literary Studies; Scientific Theories; Critical Theories; Teoría de la Relevancia; Teoría de la Literatura; Estudios Literarios; Teorías Científicas; Teorías Críticas; Teoria da Relevância; Teoria da Literatura; Estudos Literários; Teorias Científicas; Teorias Críticas

Wilson (2012; 2018; 2019 verbal presentation) has been conducting literature studies within the relevance theory program by exposing two conflicting conceptions. First is the notion held by relevance theory and its supporters that relevance can contribute to literary studies. The second conception is a counterpoint from literary theory by literary critic Keith Green (1996), that relevance has little to contribute to literary studies. We analyse both points of view, as asserted by Wilson and Green and we discuss the nature of linguistic communication theories and literary theories. We propose that, although they share the same observational object – literature – relevance theory and literary theory do not share the same theoretical object, so that the equivalence of both is a mistake. From such a mistake results a theoretical incommensurability problem and an imminent risk of pragmatics failing in its initiative to systematize literary phenomena.