Abstract
One of the defining features of literature is its special use of language. In many novels and short stories, in drama and especially in verse and poetry, language is itself foregrounded or ‘made strange’. Its style is different from that of other everyday uses. It is said to deviate from ordinary language. By applying to literary texts the methods of analysis which have been demonstrated on other varieties of English, you can discover interesting facts about the language of literature, and these will help in your evaluation of a literary work.
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Booklist
D. Attridge, The Rhythms of English Poetry (London: Longman, 1983)
N.F. Blake, Non-standard Language in English Literature (London: André Deutsch, 1981)
N.F. Blake, Shakespeare’s Language: an Introduction (London: Macmillan, 1983)
R. Carter (ed.), Language and Literature (London: Allen & Unwin, 1982)
R. Chapman, The Language of English Literature (London: Edward Arnold, 1982)
G. Leech, A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry (London: Longman, 1969) G. Leech and A. Short, Style in Fiction (London: Longman, 1981)
H. Widdowson, Stylistics and the Teaching of Literature (London: Longman, 1975)
(In chapter 9, section 9.5, the distinction between spoken stress and metrical beat comes from D. Attridge, The Rhythms of English Poetry.)
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© 1986 Dennis Freeborn
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Freeborn, D., French, P., Langford, D. (1986). Variety and style in written English — II. The language of literature. In: Varieties of English. Studies in English Language. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18134-6_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-18134-6_9
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-37997-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-18134-6
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