Point of View in Drama: A Socio-Pragmatic Analysis of Dennis Potter’s Brimstone and Treacle

The study of point of view in dramatic texts has been largely neglected by stylisticians. This is perhaps due to the fact that point of view is usually considered to be a narratological phenomenon, whereas most contemporary plays do not make use of narratorial mediation. Nevertheless, linguistic indicators of point of view do exist in dramatic texts and are not always the same as those which indicate viewpoint in prose fiction. I argue that studying point of view in drama can assist in the interpretation of dramatic texts, provide valuable insights into characterization and the relationships between characters, and also contribute to a greater understanding of how point of view is conveyed in language and communication in general. I demonstrate this through a socio-pragmatic analysis of Dennis Potter’s play Brimstone and Treacle, highlighting some of the viewpoint indicators which appear to be exclusive to dramatic texts.