Body Language in Literature

The Tilt of a Head, the Quirk of an Eyebrow, or a Shift in Position can eloquently portray a wide range of emotions without a single word being spoken. Body language is a critical component of everyday communication, yet the importance of body language or non-verbal communication in such a verbal medium as literature has not been fully studied.

In Body Language in Literature, Barbara Korte has produced an important interdisciplinary study by establishing a general theory that accounts for the varieties of body language encountered in literary narrative. The theory is complemented by a historical survey of the phenomenon. Focusing on major works of literature, including novels and stories by Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Margaret Atwood, Margaret Laurence, and J.D. Salinger, Korte shows body language to be a vital and complex method of communication in literature.