Françoise Mignon

Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, Centre de Recherches sur les Sociétés et Environnements en Méditerranées (CRESEM, UR 7397), France

[email protected]

 

“What I See, I Don’t See” – Visual Perception Through the Prism of Negation in Theatre Texts

The present study examines how negative statements containing the visual perception verb voir function in a corpus of contemporary theatre texts. This genre operates on two levels, namely the simulated interaction between fictional characters and the real interaction between the work and the audience. Within the framework of double enunciation, a statement can be interpreted as both true and untrue, as the double referential game induced by theatrical discourse leads us to question the relationship between the representational content expressed in language and the facts it describes. As for negation, it presupposes a confrontation of points of view. This fundamentally linguistic operation sets up a conflict between two poles of validation, highlighting the gap between representational content and perceived facts. Negation simultaneously opens up the field of representations and emphasises the double referential play inherent in theatrical discourse. The statements under study reveal various modes of reception, as rejection paves the way for suspending, neutralising or reversing perception reports. The analysis of negative statements shows that the diverse combinations between the ‘gaze’ theme and the forms of negation reflect a key aspect of theatre: the multiplication of perspectives on stage.

Key words: visual perception; negation; double enunciation; point of view; perception report