Beyond Poststructuralism: Theory of Character, the Personae of Modem Drama, and the Antinomies of Critical Theory

During the past few years, a new character type seems to have been added to the traditional figures of the miser, the femme fatale, and the braggart soldier. I am referring to the figure of the socio-Iinguist who specializes in cross-cultural or (cross-gender) miscommunication. As Deborah Tannen has pointed out, such characters have recently appeared in Wayne Wang's film, Chan Is Missing, Glen Merzer's play Taking Comfort, and David Carkeet's novel, The Full Catastrophe.