Style and stylistics

The term stylistics is a combination of two other terms are style and

linguistics. They interrelate to study the style of a writer. In other words, stylistics is

the linguistic study of a literary text; concerning the writer’s choice of words,

techniques (devices) motifs, tone, mode, etc. Mainly, the analysis given by the

stylisticians to a certain text focus on the significance behind a particular device, for

instance. D. Crystal says on stylistics:

“Linguistics is the academic discipline that studies language scientifically, and

stylistics, as a part of this discipline. Studies certain aspects of language

variation.”(Investigating English Style. 1969).

G. N. Leech claims that “Stylistics is a linguistic approach to literature, explaining

the relation between language and artistic function, with motivating questions such as

“WHY” and “HOW” more than “WHAT”.(Style in Fiction.2007 )

H. G. Widdowson in his book Style and the Teaching of Literature considers

stylistics as an overlapping field owns much of interest from other fields as:

linguistics, criticism, and both English language and literature. These varieties make

stylistics

l inguistics

English language

English l iterature

criticism

Because, style is a pattern of linguistics features one piece of writing from the

other and distinguishes each writer’s style. It reveals the writer’s thoughts and

philosophy shaped in a particular form. And, because, a style is all about the writers’

linguistic CHOICES that make it a mean of discovery for readers to decode the

significance behind. So, style is the language habits that a reader senses after several

readings to the same author.

Mainly, stylisicians distinguish four occurring senses of STYLE:

1. The language habit of one writer. “uniqueness”

Shakespeare, James Joyce, Hemingway

2. The language habits shared by a group at a particular period.

The Augustan poet, epic poetry, Victorian novelists.

3. Say the right thing in the most effective way with good manners ‘clear’ or

‘refined’ style.

4. Evaluation and description of literature in literary criticism or

appreciation:

‘Good’ ‘effective’ ‘beautiful’ writing.

When analyzing any given piece of writing, stylisicians consider five elements

revealed by language are:

a) The formality of the language (FORMAL/ INFORMAL)

Examples:

John Updike A&P supplies literature with the best example of the use of

informal language in a literary, work in away to show the charm and magic of our

daily language.

In contrast Jane Austen’s Emma regarded as the best example of using formal,

elegant and powerful language to show the competencies and kills of the characters,

also their social status.

Formal informal

Vocabulary: high-level Low level; perhaps slang or dialogue Organization: vey structured; with

subtopics

More so narrative

Audience: usually 3ed omniscient Usually personal (firs or third limited)

Sentence: varies in sentences( simple,

compound, complex compound)

Don’t vary as much in structure; mostly

using simple or compound sentences.

b) Tone:

It is simply the writers’ attitude toward the subject. Readers easily

detect the authors’ tone from the language

Examples

Holden Caulfield in J.D Salinger’s “Catching the Rye” unfolds his

personality through the tone he adopts throughout the novel. Let us have a

look at some of his remarks:

“All morons hate it when you call them a moron.”

“If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she’s late?

Nobody.” “Goddamn money. It always ends up making you blue as hell.” “Catholics are always trying to find out if you’re Catholic.”

Holden’s tone is bitterly sarcastic as he criticizes the nature of things in

real life. His character may reveal the attitude of the writer towards life as it is

common for writers to use their characters as their mouthpieces.

c) Diction:

Or word choice, is one of the main elements that shows the

author’s style and reveal the mood and tone; because it demonstrates

the words used class, type, level of formality and use.

Long, elegant words Short, everyday words Vivacious lively

Nonplussed At a loss

Formal words informal

I kindly accept your invitation. I’ll be there

In a difficult situation In jam Was indisposed Felt under the weather

Example:

Writers’ skillfully choose words to develop a certain tone and atmosphere in

their works. Read the following excerpt from a short story “The School” by Donald

Barthelme:

“And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained

about it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids

looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing.”

The use of the words “died”, “dead”, “brown sticks” and “depressing” gives a gloomy tone to the passage.

d) Figures of speech:

Figurative language is being used as a mean to represent or give a vivid

and colorful shape to the intended meaning; or simply to add suspense instead of the

accessible literal meaning. Poetry rather is known for the use of figurative language

more than prose.

Examples: Hyperbole

From W.H Auden’s poem “As I Walked One Evening”,

I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you Till China and Africa meet,

And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street, I’ll love you till the ocean

Is folded and hung up to dry

The use of hyperbole can be noticed in the above lines. The meeting of China and Africa, the jumping of the river over the mountain, singing of salmon in the street, and

the ocean being folded and hung up to be dried are exaggerations not possible in real life.

e) Sentence patterns:

The way writers construct sentences. It is regarded a a best mean to show

the characters’ psychological state, social class, and background (age, sex, education,

etc). Whereas, some authors tend to violate and deviate from the ordinary use and the

grammatical structure of the sentences to show that features properly, especially the

psychological state confusion, hesitating, doubt, etc.

Example:

James Joyce successfully employs the narrative mode in his novel “Ulysses” which

describes the day in life of a middle-aged Jew, Mr. Leopold Broom, living in Dublin, Ireland. Read the following excerpt:

“He is young Leopold, as in a retrospective arrangement, a mirror within a mirror

(hey, presto!), he beholdeth himself. That young figure of then is seen, precious manly, walking on a nipping morning from the old house in Clambrassil to the high

school, his book satchel on him bandolier wise, and in it a goodly hunk of wheaten loaf, a mother’s thought.”

These lines reveal the thoughts of Bloom. He thinks of the younger Bloom. The self-reflection is achieved by the flow of thoughts that takes him back to his past.