Presentation Topic : Foregrounding theory

Assigned to : Group one

Group members:
Nimra Shahid (Roll no153)
Eesha -Tur-Razia (Roll no 133)
Anam Abdullah (Roll no 121)
Mahnoor Munir (Roll no 147)
Rimsha Abdul Ghafoo (Roll no 160)
Maryam khalid (Roll no 144)
 Foregrounding Theory
 Foregrounding theory has its origins in literary stylistics and linguistics.
It was prominently developed by the Russian formalist literary critics
during the early 20th century, particularly by scholars like Roman
Jakobson and Viktor Shklovsky.

 The Russian formalists sought to study literature in a scientific and

systematic way, focusing on the specific devices and techniques that
distinguished literary language from everyday language.

 They argued that in literary texts, certain elements are “defamiliarized”

or made strange through linguistic devices, such as repetition,
deviation from normal syntax, or the use of figurative language.
 Definition
 Foregrounding is a literary device that emphasises ideas and
symbols through the use of attention-seeking linguistic techniques
which either repeat content or break established patterns.
 Foregrounding is commonly seen when linguistic features or parts
of the text stand out. This happens when something in the text is
placed in the foreground.
 Foregrounding refers to make an image, symbol, or language a
prominent or important feature. The device is used to estrange or
defamiliarize the reader from the text and the content. Such
disruptions in form and language helps to experience fresh
perspectives and responses to texts.
 Examples :

 An example can be found in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” where the

recurring motif of blood symbolizes guilt and violence, effectively
foregrounding these themes throughout the play.
 In Cask of Amontillado , Edger Allen Poe foregrounding elements
within the context of revenge and the macabre.Montresor’s deep-
seated desire for revenge against Fortunato is revealed through
repetition of the family motto, “Nemo me impune lacessit”.
Foregrounding Techniques

 Parallelism and deviation are the two techniques used

in foregrounding theory.
 1:Parallelism: Is the repetition of grammatical elements in a piece of writing to create a
harmonious effect. Sometimes, it involves repeating the exact same words, such as
 “easy come, easy go” and “veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”)etc .
 Mainly the definition of parallelism is based on the word parallel,which means to run side by side.
 There are two kinds of parallelism, parallelism as a grammatical principle and parallelism as a
literary device
What Is Parallelism In Grammar?

 Sentences are easier and more pleasant to read if there is an

agreement in their grammatical structure, particularly when it
comes to lists.
 For example:
 Faulty parallelism: “The finale was illogical, rushed, and it
disappointed.” (Two adjectives and a verb.)
 Successful parallelism: “The finale was illogical, rushed,
and disappointing.” (Three adjectives.)
What Is Parallelism as a Literary Device?

Parallelism is a literary device in itself but it is also a category under

which other figures of speech such as Anaphora ,antithesis,epistrophe
etc fall
one of the most well known examples of parallelism is featured in Neil
Armstrong’s line when he first stepped onto the surface of the moon:
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”the
structure of two noun phrases in this sentence is similar due to the
repeated use of( one )
What Is the Purpose of Parallelism in Writing?

 Writers use parallelism, because it usually simplifies the structure

of sentences, so the speaker can hold an audience’s attention
for longer and present their message in digestible terms.
 Parallelism is also useful when a writer wants to emphasize the
relationship or contrast between two or more ideas or things.
 For example : he that will cheat you at play ,will cheat you
anyway
 today a reader tomorrow a leader
 Example of Parallelism in Famous Speech

some of the most famous speeches in history contain examples of

parallelism. Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” speech is based
on a type of parallelism called anaphora, where the same word or
words starts a series of successive clauses or phrases
Text :I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out
the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident;
that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red
hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave
owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I
have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character.
 Examples of Parallelism in Literature

 Another famous parallelism example is from the opening lines of Charles

Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities:
 Text :It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the
epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness,
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
 Dickens combines anaphora with antithesis, starting successive clauses with
“it was the” and going on to use contrasting descriptions.
Type’s of parallelism

 There are four types of parallelism:

 Morphological parallelism
 Syntactical parallelism
 Semantic parallelism
 Phonological parallelism
 Morohological parallelism
“Repitition of morpheme less used than syntactic parallelism”
 For example
I kissed thee ere I killed thee.
William Shakespeare, Othello, Repitition is tensed morpheme “ed”.
 Syantactic Parallelism
Focuses more “grammatical”(part’s of speech, Sentences).
For Example
Example From William Shakespeare, Othello,is the best example.
I kissed thee ere I killed thee
So here, “ed” is reapeted means past tens.
Lexical/ Semantic Parallelism
Repitition of lexical items.Lexical equivalent need not have the same
syntactic function or part’s of speech in the two sentences in which they occur
may be identical in form and meaning, or they may be related by lexico-
semantic relationship such as synonym,hynonym and Anton.
For example
Katherine likes swimming, hiking, and to drive a car.( Doesn’t convey proper
meaning)
Katherine likes swimming, hiking and driving a car.(Repitition of ing)
 Phonological Parallelism

 Repitition of similar sound’s includes such as:

 Assonance
“Repitition of vowel sounds”like:
Edger Allen Poe’s famous poem: “The Raven”,is
The silken sad uncertain resulting from each purple curtain.
Meanwhile here is the Repitition of of “ur” sound.
 Alliteration
Repitition of consonant sounds at the beginning of the words like,
J.K Rowling’s novel “Harry Potter series” uses this a lot with
name’s.
 For Example
“Severus Snape”
“Luna love good”
“Rowena raven claw” etc
Consonance
“Repitition of the same consonant several times in a row,but this
time the consonants can appear anywhere in the words.
 For example
“Humpty Dumpty”
Rhyme
Repitition of similar sounding words.we have a lot of different types
of rhyme,but usually, they are thing’s.
For example
“tap” and “map”
“best” and “worse “
 Deviation:-
 Deviation is the setting up, and the deliberate breaking of,
established patterns of language or sound.
 In poetry, deviations frequently occur in rhythm, rhyme, stanza
layout, and any images or symbols which look out of place.
 Deviation is an unexpected irregularity of words, metaphors, and
character development which work to enhance the reader’s sense
of dislocation from the literary work. Deviation violates rules and
conventions.
 Example :-Shakespeare Combine “unkindest” and “most unkind” as
“This was the most unkindest cut of all”
 Levels of Deviation:-

Lexical Deviation:-
🠶 When a writer uses uncommon, unusual or invented words that
violate the standard expectations of language usage , they are
deviating lexically.
🠶 That means in literature, some invented new words are only used
by the inventor himself.
Example:- The coining of entirely new words (neologism)
T.S. Eliot uses the term ‘foresuffer’ in his The Waste Land ‘And I
Tiresias have foresuffered all’
Grammatical Deviation:-
 When a writer intentionally breaks the grammer rule. It can
create a specific and noticeable effect on a sentence and
phrase.
 It refers to a departure from the conventional rules or structures
of a language.
Example:- Writer may misuse nouns, verbs, and other words, or
may spell words differently.
“Then spake King Arthur to Sir Bedivere”
Semantic Deviation:
 “Semantic Deviation occurs when a writer departs from the
standard meanings of word’s or phrases to create a particular
effect.”
 Example: When we say “This story is beautiful.”
We decidedly don’t imply that “This story is true”.
Phonological Deviation:
 “This is the deviation in sound or pronunciation which is done
deliberately in regard to preserving the rhyme”.
 Example: Elision is an example of Phonological Deviation.
Graphalogical Deviation:
 Also called Orthographic Deviation. It involves breaking the rules of
punctuation, line agreement, capitalization etc”.
 Example: Think you’re in
Heaven?
Well- you’ll soon be
in H
E
L
L
Dialectical Deviation:
 Dialectal deviation or dialectism refers to the borrowing of
features of socially or regionally defined dialects”.
 It is frequently used by humorists and storytellers.
 Dialectism can accomplish a lot of things for the plot.
External & Internal deviation
• External and internal deviations are deviations from some norm
which is internal or external to the text.
• External and internal deviations are best seen in poetry.

Internal deviation :
Internal deviation is when the author or poet breaks from a pattern they
have previously set up in the text.
• This could be at the level of phonology, syntax, semantics, or any
other linguistic level. Like, using an unexpected word order or
unusual punctuation in a poem would be considered an internal
deviation.
Example :
• Edward Estlin Cummings’s poetry uses lower-case initials irrespective of
whether a new line begins a new sentence or not.
• i carry your heart with me (I carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
• However, Cummings uses occasional capitals or upper case-initials as a
deviation from his own ‘norm’, as seen in his poem ‘Buffalo Bill’s’:
• Buffalo Bill’s
• defunct
• who used to
ride a water smooth-silver
... Jesus
he was a handsome man
External deviation
• External deviation is when the author or poet breaks from the normal
conventions of language use or expectations of a genre or literary
tradition.

• Example:
The Dylan Thomas example of ‘A Grief Ago’ is an example of an
external deviation because the poet’s choice of ‘grief’ in the title
deviates from normal poetic word and grammar choices.