Stylistic Analysis
Doing Stylistic Analysis
(or four steps to heaven)
READ THROUGH THE WHOLE OF THIS PAGE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN WORK ON YOUR ANALYSIS ... FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS BELOW.
Step One: Initial Guidance
DO NOT DO ANYTHING BUT READ THROUGH THIS SECTION
DO NOT START WRITING OR NOTE-TAKING YET!
If you are offered a choice, DO NOT choose to analyse any text that you really think you don 't understand! Go for something you think you can make some sense of, even on an initial reading. Do give the author credit for having thought about the way the text is phrased: assume that it 's unlikely that s/he simply stuck something down without thinking, though you may feel (and eventually be able to prove from linguistic evidence) that a particular choice is not working well.
Once you have the text(s) you intend to work on, START THINKING AND NOTE-TAKING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after finishing this handout, so that if you have a deadline to meet, you don 't have to rush at your work at the last minute.
STRUCTURE YOUR WORK, either along lines indicated to you (if any), or in any other way that you prefer. But if you create your own structure, make it explicit by using (sub-)headings. Make sure you cover all the areas you need to. You could also number your own paragraphs and sub-paragraphs, to help you decide if you 've got things in the best order, but It 's not necessary to retain the numbers once you are satisfied you 've finished moving things about.
ALWAYS refer to line or sentence numbers in your chosen text, unless you are referring to longish sections. This avoids confusion and saves time and space. If however you find you have a very large number of such references in a short space, consider rephrasing or referring to longer stretches of the text you are analysing, in order simplify and clarify for the marker.
Follow the normal conventions for general presentation and short quotations as described in 'General Instructions ' above. In addition, remember the
(or four steps to heaven)
READ THROUGH THE WHOLE OF THIS PAGE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU BEGIN WORK ON YOUR ANALYSIS ... FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS BELOW.
Step One: Initial Guidance
DO NOT DO ANYTHING BUT READ THROUGH THIS SECTION
DO NOT START WRITING OR NOTE-TAKING YET!
If you are offered a choice, DO NOT choose to analyse any text that you really think you don 't understand! Go for something you think you can make some sense of, even on an initial reading. Do give the author credit for having thought about the way the text is phrased: assume that it 's unlikely that s/he simply stuck something down without thinking, though you may feel (and eventually be able to prove from linguistic evidence) that a particular choice is not working well.
Once you have the text(s) you intend to work on, START THINKING AND NOTE-TAKING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after finishing this handout, so that if you have a deadline to meet, you don 't have to rush at your work at the last minute.
STRUCTURE YOUR WORK, either along lines indicated to you (if any), or in any other way that you prefer. But if you create your own structure, make it explicit by using (sub-)headings. Make sure you cover all the areas you need to. You could also number your own paragraphs and sub-paragraphs, to help you decide if you 've got things in the best order, but It 's not necessary to retain the numbers once you are satisfied you 've finished moving things about.
ALWAYS refer to line or sentence numbers in your chosen text, unless you are referring to longish sections. This avoids confusion and saves time and space. If however you find you have a very large number of such references in a short space, consider rephrasing or referring to longer stretches of the text you are analysing, in order simplify and clarify for the marker.
Follow the normal conventions for general presentation and short quotations as described in 'General Instructions ' above. In addition, remember the
References: Blackmur, R. P. (1954) Language as Gesture: Essays in Poetry. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd. Cummings, E. E. (1964) 73 Poems. London: Faber and Faber. Dixit, R. (1977) 'Patterns of Deviation in Selected Poems of E. E. Cummings. ' Unpublished M.A. dissertation. Lancaster University. Leech, G. N. (1969) A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry. London: Longman. Short, M. (2000) 'Graphological Deviation, Style Variation and Point of View in Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh. ' Journal of Literary Studies/Tydskrif vir Literatuur Wetenskap 15 (3/4): 305 - 323. Van Peer, W. (1980) 'The Stylistic Theory of Foregrounding: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation. ' Unpublished Ph.D. thesis. Lancaster University. Van Peer, W. (1986) Stylistics and Psychology: Investigations of Foregrounding. Croom Helm.