Pages: 40

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 16

This chapter introduces stylistics, defined as the application of linguistic concepts and tools to study the production, reception, and interpretation of texts. It examines these parameters by outlining what we mean by ‘style’ and the justification for drawing on linguistics to provide analyses of texts. This chapter provides a chronological overview of influences on and trends in stylistics in the 20th century and specifically over the last 50 years, and includes an example of the discipline's ‘best of both worlds’ approach by showing how linguistic knowledge can enhance the literary analysis of a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The chapter ends with an overview of how best to use the book, summarising the remaining chapters and identifying how they align with the linguistic study of style.

Pages: 22

This chapter guides readers through the initial stages of planning a project in stylistics. The chapter first explores key choices related to research design, from the selection of literary extracts to choosing the right stylistic ‘tool’ for analysis. It then introduces different approaches to generating reader response data, outlining how various types of reader data may support or extend text-based analyses. Protocols related to the experimental study of literature (e.g., post-reading questionnaires, think-aloud protocols, and interviews) and naturalistic studies of readers (e.g., book group discussions, and reader reviews) are described and contextualised alongside wider principles of best practice and potential ethical considerations.

Pages: 117

No chapter abstract available.

Pages: 25

This chapter introduces readers to the connection between stylistics and narratology, that is the study of narrative discourse. It begins by outlining some of the key theoretical concepts and frameworks associated with the study of narrative, and highlights how these can both differ from and overlap with the linguistic study of style. The selected case studies exemplify this by providing a toolkit of stylistic techniques with which to analyse narratives, such as focalisation, speech and thought presentation, personal pronouns, narrative voice, and diegetic levels. This chapter also builds on the guidance introduced in Chapter 2 by highlighting preliminary considerations for selecting a primary text and choosing an analytical focus.

Pages: 22

This chapter introduces readers to the topic of cognitive stylistics. It begins by defining the topic, its relationship to disciplines such as cognitive linguistics and cognitive psychology, and outlines its scope within stylistics. The chapter then focuses on introducing readers to key theories, concepts, and methods in cognitive stylistics. The case studies provided showcase studies in cognitive stylistics that take different approaches and offer interesting ways of conceptualising how to research this area.

Pages: 20

This chapter discusses the various ways that stylistics can be applied to communication in technologically mediated contexts, including traditional media like TV and newspapers, and new and social media. The chapter discusses how different methodologies have been applied to media texts, and the challenges and opportunities that different media texts present to analysis, including temporality, permanency, multimodality, and contextuality. The ethics of collecting and analysing data in online contexts, as well as the growth of artificial intelligence in the production of online content, are examined, drawing on specific, real-world examples of stylistic methods applied in different ways.

Pages: 24

This chapter introduces corpus linguistics as a method for conducting research in stylistics. It begins by explaining key principles in corpus linguistics and describing the history of its application in stylistics, highlighting key contributions to the field in recent decades in literary and non-literary contexts. It demonstrates some of the core analytical approaches to corpus stylistics, using corpora and tools that are freely available to researchers and supports students in developing their own projects as informed by contemporary practice.

Pages: 24

This chapter focuses on ‘educational stylistics’, a title reflecting the broad application of contemporary stylistics within educational contexts in a way which goes beyond the boundaries of the more commonly evoked field of ‘pedagogical stylistics’. The chapter begins with a definition of ‘educational stylistics’ and an exploration of the parameters of our terminology. The chapter reviews the use of stylistics as a pedagogical tool in the classroom and addresses how researchers in the field of education may make use of stylistic frameworks to explore classroom reading, classroom resources, educational policy, and the conceptualisation of academic disciplines.