chapt 9 Stylistic Analysis of Poetry

StylisticAnalysisofPoetry0.RevisionofstyleasforegroundingWhatisstylistics?Howisstylerealized?Stylisticsisthestudyofliterarylanguagethroughthemeansoflinguistics.Brieflyspeaking,stylemeansforegrounding,whichisrealizedthroughdeviationandoverregularity.Deviationisfurtherclassifiedintosurface-structuredeviation(phonological,graphological,syntactic,andlexicaldeviation)anddeep-structuredeviation(contradiction,transference,deceptionandambiguity)whileoverregularityintophonologicaloverregularity(phonemicpatterningandrhythmicpatterning)andsyntacticoverregularity(repetition,parallelismandregression).1.ImportanceoftheappreciationandstylisticanalysisofpoetryPoetryisoneofthemostimportantliterarygenresfromwhosereadingwecangetalotofaestheticandintellectualpleasure.Theanalysisofthepoeticstylisticfeaturesandtheireffectscanhelpustoappreciatepoemsbetterandpromoteourabilityofstylisticanalysisofliteratureofothergenres.2.ThethreeaspectsofpoeticanalysisWecananalyzeapoemorpartofapoemfromthefollowingthreeaspects:i.RelevantinformationaboutthepoemThetitleofthepoem;Thenameofthepoet;Theperiodinwhichthepoemwaswritten(eitherthedate,forexample,themid-eighteenthcentury,oraname,forexample,theElizabethanperiod);Thegenretowhichthepoembelongs(forexample,whetheritislyric,dramatic,epic,sonnet,elegyorsatire–thesecategoriesarenotmutuallyexclusive;alyricpoemcanalsobeasonnet);Thetopic(forexample,whetheritisalovepoem,awarpoemoranaturepoem)ii.StructuralfeaturesofthepoemLayout:arethelinesgroupedintostanzasofequal/unequallengths?Numberoflines.Lengthoflines:countthesyllables;arelinesofregularsyllabiclength?Regularmetre:commentonthetypeoffootandthenumberoffeetperline–orsaythatthereisnoregularmetricalpattern.Apoemcanbewritteninfreeverseandcanoccasionallyuseparticularmetricalpatternsforemphasis,oronomatopoeiceffect.Endrhyme:plottheendrhyme,ifthereisany.Otherformsofsoundpatterning:assonance,consonance,alliteration,pararhyme,reverserhyme,halfrhyme,andrepetition.Attention:Wecansearchforallorsomeoftheabovestructuralfeaturesandshouldtrytocommentontheeffectoftheseforms.iii.SemanticandgrammaticalfeaturesofthepoemWeshouldalsocheckforliteralandfigurativeusesoflanguage,interestingusesofsyntax,punctuationandregister(formalityoflanguage),andforintertextualallusion.3.ExamplesofpoeticanalysisExample1:Beholdher,singleinthefield,YonsolitaryHighlandLass!Reapingandsingingbyherself;Stophere,orgentlypass!Aloneshecutsandbindsthegrain,Andsingsamelancholystrain;Olisten!fortheValeprofoundIsoverflowingwiththesound.Analysisbasedupontheabove-describedmethods:1)RelevantinformationTitle:TheSolitaryReaperPoet:WilliamWordsworth(1770-1850)Period:1803(early19thcentury)Genre:lyricTopic:apoemdescribingvividlyandsympatheticallyayoungpeasantgirlworkinginthefieldsandsingingassheworks.2)StructuralfeaturesLayout:4stanzasofequallengths(Cf.poemsofunequallengths)Numberoflines:32linesLengthoflines:mostofthelinesineachstanzaaretetrameter/octosyllabics(fourfeetwith8syllables)Regularmetre:iambicEndrhyme:therime-schemeforeachstanzaisababccdd(withthefirststanzairregularasabcbddee)Otherformsofsoundpatterning:noCommentontheeffectoftheaboveforms:3)SemanticandgrammaticalfeaturesSemanticfeatures:literaluseoflanguage,withnofigurativeusesGrammaticalfeatures:markedthemeinline5;useofsimplepresenttense(withavividdescribingeffect);useofimperativesentence(helpingtoproduceaneffectofdistancebetweenthepoetandthelass)Example2HoldfasttodreamsForifdreamsdieLifeisabroken-wingedbirdThatcannotfly.HoldfasttodreamsForwhendreamsgoLifeisabarrenfieldFrozenwithsnow.Analysisbasedupontheabovemethods:1)RelevantinformationTitle:DreamsPoet:LangstonHughes(1902-1967)Period:early20thcenturyGenre:Topic:apoempersuadingthereadertoholdfasttodreams2)StructuralfeaturesEnd-rhyme:abcbaded3)SemanticandgrammaticalfeaturesSemanticfeatures:twometaphorsGrammaticalfeatures:parallelismExample3:Thefairbreezeblew,thewhitefoamflew,Thefurrowfollowedfree.WewerethefirstthateverburstIntothesilentsea.Analysisbasedupontheabovemethods:RelevantinformationTitle:TheRimeoftheAncientMarinerPoet:SamuelTaylorColeridge(1772-1834)Period:late18thcenturyorearly19thcentury?Genre:lyricTopic:anaturepoemStructuralfeaturesLayout:sevenpartswithstanzasofunequallengths;thestanzaistakenfromPartII.Lengthoflines:mostofthelinesineachstanzaaretetrameter/octosyllabics(fourfeetwith8syllables)Endrhyme:therime-schemeforthisstanzaisabcbOtherformsofsoundpatterning:alliteration;internalrhymeCommentontheeffectoftheaboveforms:SemanticandgrammaticalfeaturesExample4Heclapsthecragwithcrookedhands,Closetothesuninlonelylands,Ring’dwiththeazureworld,hestands.Thewrinkledseabeneathhimcrawls,Hewatchesfromhismountainwalls,Andlikeathunderbolt,hefalls.Analysisbasedupontheabovemethods:1)RelevantinformationTitle:TheEaglePoet:AlfredTennyson(1809-1892)Period:Genre:lyricTopic:amemorialpoem2)StructuralfeaturesLayout:2stanzasofequallengthsNumberoflines:6linesLengthoflines:tetrameter/octosyllabics(fourfeetwith8syllables)Regularmetre:iambicEndrhyme:therime-schemeisaaabbbOtherformsofsoundpattern