Stylistics upside down: using

stylistic analysis in the teaching

of language and literature
By Mick Short

Presenter: Zsuzsa
Szalki

Introduction
Stylistic analysis can be used in a vareity of

educational contexts (both native & non-native

speakers)
Main arguments:
Stylistic analysis can help to solve puzzles over
meaning
Minimum age/level at which stylistic analysis can
be introduced is lower than most assume
Need for transparent terminology, for teaching
strategies helping SS to get over initial hurdles
Softening up techniques

The Language and Style

course
Target group: first-year students of

English
Most SS are not aware of how
language works
Aim: make use of linguistic

knowledge in the analysis of literary

texts
Bottom-up/Upside-down

Poetry
Parallelism rule: searching for

ways of making the parallel

structures either parallel or opposite
in meaning
Semantic deviation: deviation

from literal meaning

Teaching about parallelism,

deviation and linguistic choice I
Linguistic choice

Meaning

Active participation of SS is required

E.g.: Voting game

teaching textual cohesion - Stephen Cranes

poem
feel deviation
notice Cranes originality
understand the role of deviation in
interpretation

Teaching about parallelism,

deviation and linguistic choice II
Comparison of different versions of

the same text

Blake: The Tyger (original +

Blakes drafts)
Note down differences At what
linguistic level do they occur?
Discussion: reason of change

Deviation, parallelism and

foregrounding checksheet I
Deviation
internal or external?
if external What external norm

does it deviate from?

At what linguistic level does it
occur?
Are there any other deviations
occuring at the same place in the
text?

Deviation, parallelism and

foregrounding checksheet II
Parallelism
At what linguistic level?
Does the parallelism rule apply?
Foregrounding
How do the foregrounded portions of

the text relate together and contribute

to the interpretation of the poem as a
whole?

Thank you for your attention