A Study of Grice’s Cooperative Principle and Its Violation in The Wooden Horse by Elham Fallah and The Dead Are on Their Way by Natasha Amiri

Document Type : Qualitative Research

Authors
somaye aghababaei
yasamin mohammadiyan
allame tabatabaei
Abstract
The present article, adopting a pragmatic semantic approach and drawing upon Grice’s Cooperative Principle, examines the manner in which the four maxims of this theory (quantity, quality, relation, and manner) are observed and violated in two novels: The Wooden Horse by Elham Fallah and The Dead Are on Their Way by Natasha Amiri. The research method is both quantitative and qualitative, based on content analysis of the characters’ utterances in the two works.The findings indicate that violations of Gricean maxims in these novels acquire specific functions in narrative construction, characterization, and reader reception. In The Wooden Horse, the violation of maxims is predominantly carried out by male characters, whereas in The Dead Are on Their Way, it is mainly performed by female characters occupying positions of power. The results further demonstrate that the maxim of quantity is violated more frequently than the other maxims in both works. This frequent violation contributes to heightened suspense, the creation of ambiguity, gradual plot development, and the portrayal of characters’ reluctance to convey complete and explicit information. In The Wooden Horse, this maxim is more often violated by male characters, while in The Dead Are on Their Way, it is violated almost equally by both women and men.The maxim of quality, identified as the second most frequently violated maxim, reflects an atmosphere of social anxiety, deception, and rumor-spreading in both novels, thereby intensifying emotional tension and magnifying character traits. The violation of the maxim of relation generates psychological tension in readers, reinforces the dominance of powerful characters, implies indirect humiliation, and represents gender-based conflicts. The maxim of manner is violated more often by men in The Wooden Horse and primarily by women in The Dead Are on Their Way. Such violations contribute to the depiction of a mysterious atmosphere, the indirect expression of cultural norms, and the representation of characters’ psychological disintegration.
Keywords
Grice''s Cooperative Principle
Pragmatic semantics
language pragmatics
the novel The Wooden Horse
the novel The Dead Are on Their Way
Subjects
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Literary Research
Volume 22, Issue 90
Winter 2026
Pages 9-32