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Evaluation, Stance and Drinking Stories Martin Edward Pfeiffer Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected]

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Evaluation, Stance and Drinking Stories Martin Edward Pfeiffer Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Mpfeif1@Lsu.Edu Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2012 "Crappy New Year": evaluation, stance and drinking stories Martin Edward Pfeiffer Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Pfeiffer, Martin Edward, ""Crappy New Year": evaluation, stance and drinking stories" (2012). LSU Master's Theses. 2288. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2288 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “CRAPPY NEW YEAR”: EVALUATION, STANCE, AND DRINKING STORIES A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Martin Pfeiffer B.A., Louisiana State University, 2007 December 2012 Acknowledgments First and foremost I must thank my family for always being there. My parents have been nothing short of amazing in their support and love. My long suffering committee has been great. Jill Brody has been an exceptional mentor over more years than I publicly like to admit. She (forcefully) nudged me in the right direction and it changed my life. In addition, thanks for getting me to see the magic and wonder of language. Despite many classes together, Carolyn Ware has always been patient, insightful, and kind. She taught me to look at the world in a different way. Thank you David Chicoine for asking the hard questions and making me think beyond my comfort zone. I have always enjoyed our conversations. My friends have been true pillars of joy in my life. Jon, my impressively understanding and supportive boyfriend, deserves special mention. I owe more than I could ever repay to my mutual friends of Bill, especially John N. Last, but never least, I dedicate this thesis to the memory and life of my mother Molly Pfeiffer. I think you’d be proud. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ...............................................................................…………………………............v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Chapter 2: Data ................................................................................................................................5 2.1 Text Selection .......................................................................................................................5 2.2 Text and Author Characteristics ...........................................................................................5 2.3 Erowid ...................................................................................................................................7 2.3.1 Context of Erowid .......................................................................................................7 2.3.2 Erowid Editorial and Review Policy ...........................................................................9 2.4 Synopses and Structural Descriptions .................................................................................10 2.4.1 Labov and Narrative Structure ..................................................................................10 2.4.2 “Crappy New Year” ................................................................................................. 12 2.5 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................18 Chapter 3: Method and Theory ......................................................................................................19 3.1 Discourse Analysis..............................................................................................................19 3.2 Narrative Analysis ..............................................................................................................21 3.2.1 Labov ........................................................................................................................22 3.2.2 Evaluation .................................................................................................................26 3.2.3 Selected Evaluative Techniques ...............................................................................28 3.3 Stance ..................................................................................................................................37 3.4 Text and Transcription Conventions ...................................................................................44 3.5 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................45 Chapter 4: Literature Review .........................................................................................................50 4.1 Anthropology and Substance Use .......................................................................................50 4.1.1 Anthropology and Alcohol Studies ...........................................................................51 4.1.2 Archaeology ..............................................................................................................55 4.2 Drinking Stories .................................................................................................................57 4.3 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................62 Chapter 5: Tellability and Credibility ............................................................................................64 5.1 Tellability ............................................................................................................................64 5.1.1 Tellability in the Initial Paragraphs...........................................................................64 5.1.2 Tellability Throughout the Text ................................................................................69 iii 5.2 Credibility ...........................................................................................................................73 5.2.1 Memory Loss and Source Attribution.......................................................................74 5.2.2 Inconsistent Forgetting and Detailed Recollection ...................................................78 5.3 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................82 Chapter 6: Praise, Blame, and Accounting ...................................................................................84 6.1 Mitigation, Minimization, and Situational Constraints.......................................................85 6.2 Automatism: Accessing the Excuse Value of Intoxication .................................................86 6.3 S: Best of Friends, Worst of Friends ...................................................................................90 6.4 Reported Speech and Linguistic Constructions ..................................................................93 6.4.1 Reported Speech ........................................................................................................93 6.4.2 I guess ........................................................................................................................95 6.5 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................99 Chapter 7: Sloppy Drunks and Competent Drinkers ...................................................................101 7.1 The Paradox of Incompetence in “Crappy New Year” .....................................................103 7.1.1 Nemo as an Incompetent Drinker ............................................................................103 7.1.2 Nemo as a Competent Drinker .................................................................................106 7.1.3 Creating an Other .....................................................................................................110 7.2 Lessons Learned: Rescuing a Competent Identity ............................................................113 7.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................114 Chapter 8: Conclusion (The Big So What) ..................................................................................116 8.1 Review of Findings with Reference to “The Reasons I Couldn’t Wait” ..........................118 8.1.1 Tellability and Credibility ........................................................................................118 8.1.2 Praise, Blame, and Accounting
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