Text World Theory in Processing English and Arabic Dramatic Text

Abstract

The present study examines the different text worlds readers create in processing dramatic texts. The study aims at exploring the extent to which text world theory (TWT henceforth) is applicable in analyzing English and Arabic dramatic texts. The study argues that TWT can be used in analyzing dramatic texts to help readers to arrive at a better comprehension of these texts. The paper is divided into two parts: the first presents TWT’s theoretical development and its relation to other theories as well as a detailed analysis of the main levels of TWT, and the second provides an analysis of selected English and Arabic dramatic texts. The model of the study is adapted from Gavins (2007) which is based on Werth (1999) . The findings of the analysis has shown the applicability of TWT in analyzing English and Arabic dramatic texts. It has also been shown that the three levels of analysis contribute differently when processing texts.