ABSTRACT

In The Conspiracy of the Text, first published in 1986, Jeff Adams looks at an early stage in childhood to examine the ways in which children create social organisation and moral order. Adams shows how certain narratives, such as fairy tales, serve as a foundation for this system, and does this through a fascinating linguistic analysis of a young girl’s reading of her favourite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. This title will be of interest to students of literary theory and linguistics.

part |2 pages

Part I The structure of the text and the process of reading

chapter |2 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|38 pages

General orientation for the reader

part |2 pages

Part II Beauty and the Beast and its reading

chapter 2|20 pages

1 The lure

chapter 2|16 pages

2 The lesson

chapter 2|22 pages

3 Melissa’s reconstruction: introduction

chapter 2|6 pages

4 Conclusions and discussion