An Application of H.P. Grice�s Theory of Implicature to Somerset Maugham�s Short Story The Punctiliousness of Don Sebastian

Sashi Kala Govindarajulu; Dr. B. Krishnamurthy

Volume : VI, Issue : V, May - 2017

An Application of H.P. Grice�s Theory of Implicature to Somerset Maugham�s Short Story The Punctiliousness of Don Sebastian

Sashi Kala Govindarajulu, Dr. B. Krishnamurthy

Abstract :

Purpose: Somerset Maugham was successful with well-received novels, notable essays, crowd-drawing plays and more than a hundred short stories. But unfortunately his critics anded him a �commercial� writer and an artistic failure.

Methodology: Paul Grice introduced the technical notions of Cooperative Principle and �conversational implicature� to arrive at the right meaning of an utterance. This study applies Grice�s theory of conversational implicature to interpret the language of Somerset Maugham in his short story The Punctiliousness of Don Sebastian to show his language gifts.

Findings: This minute analysis exposes explicitly the complexities of Maugham�s use of language.