Tag Archive for: Grice’s maxims

This research looks at how Saki, also known as H.H. Munro, uses Grice’s maxims to accomplish practical consequences in his short story “The Open Window.” The research investigates how meaning is created through speech and how violations of these principles lead to misconceptions using a pragmatic approach. The research examines how the story’s characters interact in accordance with or without respect to Grice’s four maxims—quality, quantity, manner, and relation —using a qualitative descriptive technique. The study’s questions explore Vera’s application of these aphorisms, the irony and misinterpretation resulting from Framton Nuttel’s presumptions regarding them, Munro’s potential social critique of Victorian communication conventions, and the narrative’s thematic implications of deception, manipulation, and social anxiety.  Thirty of Grice’s maxims are found in the story, which Vera disobeys to produce hilarious consequences. The conversation sheds light on how these broken rules lead to misunderstandings and manipulation while also providing an understanding of the story’s social setting and the intentions of the protagonists. This pragmatic approach highlights the significance of effective and transparent communication in interpersonal relationships while enhancing our comprehension of the story’s dynamics, comedy, and thematic depth.