Speech Act Analysis of Charlotte McConaghy’s Once There Were Wolves: An Ecofeminist Study of Abuse and Resistance

Abstract

Literature and language are inseparable. Reading literature through linguistic analysis can greatly augment our understanding of the author’s purpose and the characters’ psychology. This paper employs Searle’s classification of speech acts to make an ecofeminist reading of Charlotte McConaghy’s novel Once There Were Wolves and examines how some characters show abuse towards women as well as nature, and others express resistance to it through specific speech acts. It also makes a comparative analysis of the patterns of speech acts of men and women, the oppressor and the oppressed, and those who want to rewild and protect the natural world, and those who stand against it and want to maintain the status quo.

The research establishes a fundamental correlation between language, gender, and the environment. It reveals the significant role of language in shaping and communicating social structures, and highlights the significance of speech act analysis in ecofeminist studies.