style and stylistics

1. 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
linguistics
English
language
English
literature
criticism

2. 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.

3. 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.”

4. 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.”

5. 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.