Storytelling as interaction in The Homecoming

Abstract

This article describes and analyses storytelling episodes in Harold Pinter's The Homecoming using an interactional approach which focuses on the ways in which characters negotiate storytelling as speakers and listeners and the impact this negotiation has on the audience's interpretation of the play. Drawing on studies of conversational storytelling, the analysis shows how narrative control in The Homecoming reflects territorial control, as stories become the means by which characters battle for power within the discourse space. It also shows how characters construct their storytelling identities through the use of particular storytelling strategies and highlights the way in which Pinter uses a highly polarized storytelling style to produce particular dramatic effects.