Study of Plot Development from the Perspective of Transitivity Analysis

Abstract

This paper analyzes the short novel A Woman on a Roof by Doris Lessing from the perspective of transitivity analysis, focusing on how the development of plot is revealed through transitivity analysis within Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar. Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar is designed for the purpose of text analysis and to account for how the language is used. The conclusion of this study is that transitivity analysis is a powerful tool in analyzing literary works and it also provides us with a new perspective to appreciate and evaluate literary works.