The history of stylistics can be traced back to the era where the concentration was made on the oral expressions. Style, as we know today, has its origins back to the the ancient rhetoric which was called “lexis” by the Greeks and “elocutio” by the Romans. The ancient rhetoric was divided into five laws. The first law was made by generating and discovering textual material. This led to some arguments based on one of the Aristotelian proofs, logos, ethos, and pathos. The second law was made by the use of that material for ideal impact in any circumstances. This led to the constitution of the third law which stylized the textual material. Last but not least the forth and fifth laws were made by committing the material to memory and delivering it , if it was in the form of speech.
The third law of rhetoric, which stylized the textual material, was based on two forms: the first form investigated the clarity, accuracy, and appropriateness of the language. The second form, on the other hand, investigated the figures of style in the language. So, these forms were either schemes, that distorted from the syntactic level of language, or tropes, which distorted from the semantic level.
Style was also divided into three types, high, middle, and low. The high style was dedicated to literature and poetry. The low style was dedicated to more common performances of discourse communication. The middle style was a mixture of both styles and was dedicated to average situations.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. The Origins of Stylistics
- 1.1 Ancient Greeks
- 2. Russian Formalism, Prague School, and American New Criticism
- 2.1 Russian Formalism
- 2.2 Prague School
- 2.3 American New Criticism
- 3. Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis, and Cognitive Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis
- 3.1 Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis
- 3.2 Cognitive Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This text aims to trace the historical development of stylistics, exploring its key influences and methodologies. It examines the evolution of stylistic analysis from its ancient roots in rhetoric to its modern forms, incorporating insights from various schools of thought.
- The historical evolution of stylistics
- The influence of ancient rhetoric on stylistic theory
- The impact of Russian Formalism, the Prague School, and American New Criticism on stylistics
- The relationship between stylistics and other linguistic disciplines like pragmatics and cognitive analysis
- The development of modern stylistic methodologies
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. The Origins of Stylistics: This chapter traces the origins of stylistics back to ancient Greece and Rome, focusing on the concept of "lexis" and "elocutio." It details the five laws of ancient rhetoric, emphasizing the third law's focus on stylizing textual material through clarity, accuracy, and the use of figures of speech (schemes and tropes). The chapter also explores the ancient categorization of style into high, middle, and low, reflecting the diverse contexts of language use.
2. Russian Formalism, Prague School, and American New Criticism: This chapter discusses the emergence of stylistics in the 20th century, highlighting its relationship to and divergence from New Criticism. It examines the significant influence of Russian Formalism, particularly the contributions of Jakobson, Shklovsky, and Propp, and their focus on the scientific study of literary texts and poetic language. The chapter then transitions to the Prague School's shift towards functionalism and foregrounding, emphasizing the role of context and the reader in textual meaning. Finally, it analyzes the impact of American New Criticism and its emphasis on the text itself as an aesthetic object, contrasting it with the reader-focused approach of Practical Criticism.
3. Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis, and Cognitive Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis: This chapter explores the interconnectedness of stylistics with pragmatics, discourse analysis, cognitive analysis, and critical discourse analysis. It highlights the shared goal of investigating language use, both formally and naturally, and the resulting overlap in their areas of study. The chapter further points towards the emergence of new approaches like Cognitive Stylistics and Critical Stylistics, which integrate methods from multiple fields to provide a more comprehensive analysis of texts.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Stylistics, rhetoric, ancient Greece, Russian Formalism, Prague School, American New Criticism, pragmatics, discourse analysis, cognitive analysis, critical discourse analysis, foregrounding, defamiliarization, literary criticism, text analysis, language use.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
What is the main focus of the text?
The text focuses on the historical development of stylistics, exploring its origins, key influences, and methodologies. It examines the evolution of stylistic analysis from ancient rhetoric to modern forms, incorporating insights from various schools of thought.
What are the key themes covered in the text?
The key themes include the historical evolution of stylistics, the influence of ancient rhetoric, the impact of Russian Formalism, the Prague School, and American New Criticism, the relationship between stylistics and other linguistic disciplines, and the development of modern stylistic methodologies.
What is discussed in the chapter on "The Origins of Stylistics"?
This chapter traces the origins of stylistics back to ancient Greece and Rome, focusing on the concepts of "lexis" and "elocutio." It details the five laws of ancient rhetoric, emphasizing the third law's focus on stylizing textual material. It also explores the ancient categorization of style into high, middle, and low.
What is discussed in the chapter on "Russian Formalism, Prague School, and American New Criticism"?
This chapter discusses the emergence of stylistics in the 20th century, highlighting its relationship to and divergence from New Criticism. It examines the influence of Russian Formalism, the Prague School's shift towards functionalism, and the impact of American New Criticism.
What is discussed in the chapter on "Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis, and Cognitive Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis"?
This chapter explores the interconnectedness of stylistics with pragmatics, discourse analysis, cognitive analysis, and critical discourse analysis. It highlights the shared goal of investigating language use and the emergence of new approaches like Cognitive Stylistics and Critical Stylistics.
What are some of the key words associated with this text?
Key words include stylistics, rhetoric, ancient Greece, Russian Formalism, Prague School, American New Criticism, pragmatics, discourse analysis, cognitive analysis, critical discourse analysis, foregrounding, defamiliarization, literary criticism, text analysis, and language use.
- Quote paper
- Ahmed Hashim (Author), 2017, On the History of Stylistics, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1521594
