Stylistics

Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics

by Lesley Jeffries, Daniel McIntyre

Stylistics is the linguistic study of style in language. It aims to account for how texts project meaning, how readers construct meaning and why readers respond to texts in the way that they do. This book is an introduction to stylistics that locates it firmly within the traditions of linguistics. Organised to reflect the historical development of stylistics from its origins in Russian formalism, the book covers key principles such as foregrounding theory, as well as more recent developments in cognitive stylistics. It includes an examination of both literary and non-literary texts, and substantial coverage of methodologies for stylistic analysis. Throughout the book, the emphasis is on the practicalities of producing stylistic analyses that are objective, replicable and falsifiable. Comprehensive in its coverage and assuming no prior knowledge of the topic, Stylistics will be essential reading for undergraduate and graduate students new to this fascinating area of language study.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Language

238 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2010

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is my savior!

[emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

i'm free!!!!!!!! worst experience of my fucking life

[Trish Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I had to read this book as part of my university course, and I've got to say it isn't easy reading. However, it does get better and is very informative once you understand the terminology; I thought I had quite a large vocab. - how wrong I was! If you are new to linguistics and stylistics, I suggest you invest in a stylistic dictionary and don't attempt a whole chapter at a time. It takes a while to get your head round.

[Suhaib · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful summarized textbook on stylistic analysis in literature.

[Nikki Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this is a text book and my friends on here are probably wondering why I’m bothering rating it lol. But the information was very interesting! If you have the desire to study stylistic analysis, I would recommend this book for sure.

Now, I do want to say the language of the text is pretty dense. So be prepared to spend quite some time on each chapter (spoken from experience). However, if you have the ability to take your time, I think it’s rich in knowledge and examples of how to apply the vast number of concepts you’ll learn.

I can see myself going back to this book for a leisure read after this semester is over.

[Серкан Чифтчиер]

very god

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overwhelming and challenging read, and generally a bit dry, but overall a comprehensive and functional overview of the discipline of stylistics, with some thoroughly insightful examples and case studies. I feel that I could do with reading it another couple of times to really take everything in but... yeah that's not going to happen. I'll keep it on the shelf for reference.

[Uyunk]

good