英语文体学教案lectureoneIntroductiontoStylistics

1、Chapter one: Introduction to Stylistics（4hrs）Definition of stylistics:Stylisticsis a special kind of subject, which applies the techniques and concepts of modern linguistics to the study of literary texts. And it is based upon the idea that the examination or analysis of the language of a literary t

2、ext can be a means to a fuller understanding and appreciation of the writers artistic achievement.So stylistics studies language as it is used in literary texts, with the aim of relating it to the artistic functions of language use.Stylistics is based upon the idea that all artistic works have conte

3、nt and form, usually the content can decide the form, but the other way round, the form can have counter-effect upon the content. It is also true of literary works.This definition does not mean that the learning of stylistics demands a great deal of linguistic knowledge. In stead, it requires the le

4、arner to be familiar with some basic concepts and traditional terms in grammar, phonetics, and rhetoric. And of course, the learner should also be curious and make full use of an explicit understanding of language not just language used in the given literary context.Stylistic study/analysisStylistic

5、smakes for a widening and deepening of the aesthetic taste.Leo Spitzers insistence is that the smallest detail of the used by in a particular literary text can unlock the soul of a literary work.That is, by noticing the smallest detail, the reader can understand and explainhow a particular effect or

6、 meaning is achieved. Then the reader is more likely to appreciate the creation of the writers.Leo Spitzer: the only way to get out of the state of un-productivity is to read and reread.Summing up:Any stylistic study of a literary text starts from some curiosity or the curious noticing of some detai

7、ls or some special features of a particular case of language use, or such uses in a literary text. For in both linguistic and literary spheres, much rests on the intuition and personal judgment for which a system, however good, is an aid rather then a substitute. So interest and curiosity is the mot

8、her of stylistic discovery. And the method of getting some interest or insight is to read and reread the text you are going to analyze.It goes through the linguistic analysis of these details and comes to the realization of the special effects realized thereby.1The relation between stylistics and li

9、nguisticsLanguage playsthe role of conceptualization and communication of meaning.1. Both stylistics and linguistics are subjects that take language as their object of study. They differ only in that the linguistics aims at the general and abstract aspects of language, ie. langue, while stylistics a

10、ims at the particular cases of language use, ie. speech/parole, together with special effect realized thereby.2. Stylisticsis the application of linguistics to the study of literature.Stylists are interested in the details of the language used by certain writers in a certain text, and they look thro

11、ugh these details to its significance.3. One of the major concerns of stylistics is to check or validate intuitions by detailed analysis, but it is also a dialogue between a literary reader and a linguistic observer, and the goal of this dialogue is insight rather than objectivity. Linguistic analys

12、is does not replace readers intuition, more importantly, it can prompt, direct, and shape it into an understanding.4. Stylistics builds on linguistics, and in return, it also challenges our linguisticframework, it always opens our eyes to the new horizons of our understanding of language and languag

13、e use.The relation in between is a dialectical one.Different definitions of style:1. The most traditional definition of style is that style is a writer s way/manner of writing or his mode of expression. This is a kind of dualist view about language based upon the belief that concerning language use

14、there can be two aspects, namely, the content and the form. And some hold that style itself is part of the meaning or a component of the content of a form.2. Style as the dress of thought. This definition implies that style refers to the way saying what one has to say.True wit is nature to advantage

15、 dressed,What oft was thought but ner so well expressed.3. Style is manner of expression or manner of writing. So here in this definition, speech act is treated as the same as other common kinds of acts, the personal way of behaving forms the style of the person in question.4. Right word in the righ

16、t place make a good style.Sum-up:1. Style is a way in which language is used, so it is related to parole rather than langue.2. Style consists in choices made from the repertoire of the language.3. Stylistic choice is limited to those aspects of linguistic choice which concern2alternative ways of saying the same thing or of rendering the same subject matter.4.A style is defined in terms of a domain of language （what person said what in what