English – Text Production Analyses of ”I Surrender, Dear” By: Peter Packroff 11CK13
“The Surrendered Wife” is the title of Laura Doyle’s new book which is being critized by Tamaly M. Edwards in the article “I Surrender, Dear”. But why exactely is she introducing the new book in such ironic way? I will look closer into the parts of the text where she is using subjectives and colours her language. She has hiddin messeges written behind the lines which I will try to show. Fx in her choices of “real life examples” she has picked out from the book. The text is a one page article containing a picture of the book whose cover is pretty similar to the book “Green Fried Tomatoes” which is known to be girly and romantic. Pictured a rose and a text of romantic italic types. The introduction of the article begins “We all now...”. The purpose is to make a connection between reader and writer. Edwards continues “what to do?” and list up exampels from the book fx “give him the check book”, “apologize for being disrespectful”. But in the midle of the last column Laura “counters that her book is not hard doctrine or meant for everyone”. It is common known that it is the small details in the relationship that causes the troubles. Any way they are just smaller parts of a bigger trouble case that have been build up over a long period of time. In the real life examples Edward pics out the stories without going into detalis with the background stories that the troubles causes. Fx the story of Rachel Godwin is told as if it was her husbands choice of sneakers and socks that was the main problem.When you point out these examples and leave out the whole problem, the cases may seem ridicules and seems like minor problems. As if there were no real problems existing at all. From this point of view she must conclude that the publishing of this book is unnessesary. Edward uses many coloured words (subjectives) that describe her own opinion. Such as “The book has understandable provoked...”, “...some of Doyle’s ideas seem demeaning and questionable”. She also uses strong words as praises – used in the sentence “John Gray praises it”. Later she uses the word disciples about Rachel Godwin to line up her opinion. These words may send relegious