What Hath Bakhtin Wrought?
Toward a Unified Theory of
Literature and Composition
by Lee Honeycutt
A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of North Carolina at
Charlotte in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master
of Arts in the Department of English.
Copyright © 1994
Approved by:
Dr. Sam Watson,
Dr. Anita Moss,
and Dr. David Amante
Abstract
The growing influence of critical theory in English studies has produced
a host of difficult and confusing ideas about philosophy of language as
applied to written texts. Especially frustrating for many has been Jacques
Derrida's theory of deconstruction, which gained increasing influence during
the 1970s, but seems to be losing ground to a variety of opposing theories,
including those of Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin. This thesis
demonstrates how Bakhtin's dialogic theory of language counters
deconstructive thought and restores harmony to Aristotle's rhetorical
triangle by placing the author on equal footing with his or her texts and
readers. In doing so, it traces Bakhtin's influence in literary criticism
and composition studies during the past decade and demonstrates how a
dialogic philosophy of language can lead us toward a unified theory of
literature and composition and help define the course of English
studies during the electronic information age.
Since February 8, 1996, you are visitor #
Lee Honeycutt
(honeyl@iastate.edu) 2 May 2000