文体修辞UNIT2

UNIT 2

第一题戴亚芬杨帆张姣慧

1. What is meant by style as deviance? Provide an example to illustrate this view.

The distinctiveness of a literary text resides in its departure from the characteristics of what is com municatively normal. This has led to approaches to style as deviance.

As for the example, the phrase “a grief ago ” from a poem of that name by Dylan Thomas. The phr ase violates two rules of the indefinite article a clashes semantically with the uncountable noun gri ef, because it normally modifies a countable one; the post-modifying adverb ago clashes semantic ally with the head word grief, for it usually is able to modify a noun to do with time. But grief is a word which expresses emotion. The highly deviant nature of the phrase attracts much attention fro m the reader to itself, and thus makes it possible for the poet to express what cannot be expressed t hrough the normal use of language. Thomas here seems to be measuring time in terms of emotion. It is not unreasonable, therefore, to suggest that the speaker of the poem may have experienced gr ief repeatedly so that he can measure time in terms of it.

第2题姜婉婷04，肖帅帅05，俞兰冰06

2. Discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of the view of style as deviance.

In terms of the advantages of the view of style as deviance, first, it can help us to see and keep in mind that there is a difference between everyday language and the language of literature. It also he lps us realize that deviant features provide important clues for interpretation. Besides, the highly d eviant nature of the phrase attracts much attention from the reader to itself, and thus makes it possi ble for the poet to express what cannot be expressed through the normal use of language.

However, the chief disadvantage is that it is difficult to define the nature and the status of the norm from which style of a text deviants. Another disadvantage is that it tends to undervalue all non-de viant language, both within literature and without.

第三题，裘嘉颖、刘益花、范均鳌

3. How do you define the view of style as choice?

Style as choice is meant that style results from a tendency of a speaker or writer to consistently ch oose certain form or expression over others available in the language. Thus, style concerns the cha racteristic choice in a given context.

E.g. In writing The Eve of St. Agnes, Keats substituted the word shut for close:' As though a rose s hould shut and be a bud again' , which adds some poetic quality to the line, since internal rhyme is one of those features associated traditionally and typically with poetry.

The stylistician must select those features that are most relevant to his discussion and ignore the irr elevant ones in order to make a coherent and convincing interpretation.

第4组金剑王露兰鲍蕾.doc

Question: How can we distinguish ‘style’ from language?