Language in Literature: An Introduction to Stylistics

By Michael Toolan

An activity-based introduction to stylistics, this textbook explains some of the topics in literary linguistics and helps students in analysing written texts. How can you tell good writing - the excellent, the brilliant and the ingenious - from bad writing - the weak, the banal and the confusing? By looking at the technique and the craft of writing, Language in Literature examines the ways in which language is organised to create particular meanings or effects. Covering a range of topics - naming patterns, modality and evaluation, the structure of simple narratives, the recording of character speech and thought, the dynamics of dialogue, presuppositions and textual revision - the book presents the structuring principles within the English language. Activities and end-of-chapter commentaries encourage a 'learning by doing' approach and equips the reader with the main linguistic terms necessary for the analysis of literary and non-literary texts.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034066214X
• ISBN13: 9780340662144
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

The craft of writing

Without the pretension of discuss the extensive traditon of stylistics, Michael Toolan's Language in literature provides the reader with a fine introduction to many topics on this subject: patterns of texture and representation, modality and evaluation, the structure of simple narratives, the recording of character speech and thought, the dinamics of dialogue, pressupposition and textual revision . The book might be useful for short undergraduate courses in Stylistics or even for self study. Activities and commentaries lead the reader to discover how language always creates special effects. He also will learn some linguistic terms necessary for the aplication of grammar in literary study as well as discover a new way of studying the language. Teachers will find a good selection of texts (literary and non literary) with a few linguistic comentaries that might be helpful to give some ideas to work in classroom.