A Multimodal Cognitive Stylistic Framework for Analyzing Narrative Techniques in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire

Abstract

This article proposes an integrated multimodal cognitive stylistic framework for analysing narrative techniques in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. The proposed framework synthesizes narrative theory, cognitive stylistics, multimodal stylistics, and corpus-assisted linguistic analysis into a unified analytical model capable of examining both verbal and non-verbal semiotic resources. Drawing upon theories of mind style, mind-modelling, multimodal stylistics, and narrative techniques, the study demonstrates how multiple semiotic modes cooperate to construct fictional worlds and facilitate readers' mental representations. The framework further incorporates quantitative evidence generated through Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) to complement qualitative interpretation. The paper argues that narrative techniques cannot be adequately understood through linguistic analysis alone because cognitive interpretation emerges from the interaction between language, visual organisation, material presentation, and readers' inferential processes. The proposed model contributes to cognitive stylistics by offering a comprehensive analytical procedure suitable for contemporary multimodal literary texts and provides a transferable framework for future stylistic investigations of fantasy literature.