AN ANALYSIS OF THE TRADITIONS OF COMMUNICATION THEORY IN IAN MCEWAN’S ATONEMENT by JOLANDI BEZUIDENHOUT 2006093401 Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Artium (Communication Science) in the DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION SCIENCE FACULTY OF THE HUMANITIES of the UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE BLOEMFONTEIN January 2017 SUPERVISOR: Dr D. Krige DECLARATION I hereby declare that this work is the result of my own independent investigation. I further declare that this work is submitted for the first time at this university and the Department of Communication Science towards an M.A. degree and that it has not previously been submitted to any other university/faculty/department for the purpose of obtaining a degree. ___________________ J. BEZUIDENHOUT ___________________ Date I hereby cede copyright of this product in favour of the University of the Free State. ___________________ J. BEZUIDENHOUT ___________________ Date i | P a g e ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The researcher appreciatively acknowledges the support of everybody who contributed to the execution of this study. In particular, special acknowledgement is extended to the following people for continuous motivation and never-ending support: • My parents, Francois and Wilma Bezuidenhout. • My sister, Nicola Bezuidenhout. • My friends and co-workers, Annette van Baalen and Jamie-Lee Nortjé. • The programme director of the Department of Communication Science, Dr Mercia Coetzee. • The former departmental chair of the Department of Communication Science, Prof. Johann de Wet. A special word of thanks must be given to the greatest supervisor, mentor, friend, and travel companion in the world, Daleen Krige. The simple truth is that without your guidance and motivation, this study would never have realised. Thank you for always believing in me, even in times when I did not believe in myself. I dedicate this dissertation to you. ii | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ vii SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... viii OPSOMMING ...................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Research question and objectives .......................................................................... 3 1.3 Methodology and research design .......................................................................... 4 1.4 Structuring .............................................................................................................. 4 1.5 Summary ................................................................................................................ 5 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE STUDY – PART 1: THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY ORIGINS OF COMMUNICATION THEORY 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Rhetoric .................................................................................................................. 9 2.3 Philosophy ............................................................................................................ 12 2.4 Semiotics and linguistics ....................................................................................... 13 2.5 Psychology ........................................................................................................... 15 2.6 Sociology .............................................................................................................. 17 2.7 Anthropology......................................................................................................... 19 2.8 Miscellaneous fields .............................................................................................. 21 2.8.1 Critical theory ................................................................................................... 22 iii | P a g e 2.8.2 Information theory ............................................................................................ 23 2.8.3 General systems theory and cybernetics ......................................................... 24 2.9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 25 CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE STUDY – PART 2: THE EMERGENCE OF THE SEVEN TRADITIONS OF COMMUNICATION THEORY 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 26 3.2 The seven traditions of communication theory ..................................................... 29 3.2.1 The rhetorical tradition ..................................................................................... 32 3.2.2 The phenomenological tradition ....................................................................... 35 3.2.3 The semiotic tradition ....................................................................................... 38 3.2.4 The sociopsychological tradition ...................................................................... 41 3.2.5 The sociocultural tradition ................................................................................ 44 3.2.6 The cybernetic tradition .................................................................................... 47 3.2.7 The critical tradition .......................................................................................... 50 3.3 Criticisms and amendments of the seven traditions metamodel ........................... 52 3.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 54 CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 55 4.2 Research paradigm and methodological approach............................................... 57 4.3 Research design ................................................................................................... 60 4.3.1 Unit of analysis: Atonement ............................................................................. 63 4.3.2 Method of data collection and analysis ............................................................ 63 4.4 Trustworthiness .................................................................................................... 71 4.5 Ethical considerations ........................................................................................... 73 4.6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 74 iv | P a g e CHAPTER 5: RESULTS 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 76 5.1.1 The narrative of Atonement.............................................................................. 76 5.2 The seven traditions in Atonement ....................................................................... 79 5.3 The rhetorical tradition in Atonement .................................................................... 82 5.4 The phenomenological tradition in Atonement ...................................................... 87 5.5 The semiotic tradition in Atonement ...................................................................... 93 5.6 The sociopsychological tradition in Atonement ..................................................... 98 5.7 The sociocultural tradition in Atonement ............................................................. 104 5.8 The cybernetic tradition in Atonement ................................................................ 107 5.9 The critical tradition in Atonement ....................................................................... 112 5.10 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 116 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 6.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 117 6.2 The traditions of communication theory in Atonement ........................................ 119 6.3 Limitations .......................................................................................................... 124 6.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 125 REFERENCE LIST .......................................................................................................... 127 v | P a g e LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: Summarised characteristics of the rhetorical tradition ..................................... 34 Table 3.2: Summarised characteristics of the phenomenological tradition ....................... 37 Table 3.3: Summarised characteristics of the semiotic tradition .....................................