英语文体学讲稿.doc

Chapter one: Introduction to Stylistics （4hrs） Definition of stylistics: Stylistics is 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 text can be a means to a fuller understanding and appreciation of the writer’s 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 content 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 learner 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/analysis Stylistics makes for a widening and deepening of the aesthetic taste. Leo Spitzer’s 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 explain how a particular effect or meaning is achieved. Then the reader is more likely to appreciate the creation of the writer’s. 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 details 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