Abstract
The Bakhtinian analysis of texts allows the reader to realize what an important part language plays in the understanding and interpretation of a novel. He explains how the different forces (centripetal and centrifugal) which drive the writer during his work may be recognized and how heteroglossia is used to convey different meanings to the novel. His particular way of reading texts paying attention to the different registers, and above all to dialogism between utterances highlights the connection between a novel and society. A triangular link is created between the written word, the reader, and society through the centuries. In order to put into practice Bakhtin's theories, we have chosen to study a passage from "Jude the Obscure? by Thomas Hardy dealing with the killing of a pig by Arabella and Jude (Part 1 Chapter X).
