LN3505: STYLISTICS (2019-2020)

Last modified: 25 Sep 2019 09:58

Course Overview

This course enables students to apply skills of close linguistic analysis to a range of literary texts and genres. Students will explore the ways in which different aspects of linguistic structure shape and contribute to readers' interpretations of texts. The core structural elements of phonology, morphology and syntax will be covered; each week, students will discuss a particular literary text, putting into practice the skills of stylistic analysis gained on the course up to that point. The course will cover both canonical "Literary" texts and other forms of writing.

Course Details

Study Type	Undergraduate	Level	3
Session	Second Sub Session	Credit Points	30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus	Aberdeen	Sustained Study	No
Co-ordinators	Dr Dr. William Barras

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

One of Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5
Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
One of LN2003 Words and Meanings: Lexis and Semantics (Passed) or LN2005 Varieties of English (Passed) or LN2008 Language in Society (Passed) or LN2301 Sounds of English (Passed) or LN2505 Morphology and Syntax (Passed) or LN2508 Language in Society (Passed) or LN2509 Varieties of English (Passed)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

Course Aims

This course aims to introduce students to the close linguistic analysis of literary texts, enabling students to identify how different aspects of linguistic structure shape and contribute to readers' interpretations of texts. Students will consider both canonical "Literary" texts and non-canonical forms of writing.

Main Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students should have:

1. a wide-ranging general understanding of way linguistic structure shapes possible readings of a text;
2. knowledge of specific linguistic techniques and their effects;
3. developed a set of stylistic analytical "tools" to enable them to identify and analyse the use of linguistic structure in a variety of texts.

Course Content

The study of Linguistics often focuses on spoken or spontaneous language, or on specific forms of institutional discourse, such as the language used in educational contexts or other professional contexts. However, given that we are surrounded by literary texts, from novels to poetry and drama, it is both interesting and useful to apply precise linguistic analytical approaches to texts from a range of literary genres.

This course will look at how language structure can be used to shape meaning, considering patterns in the phonology, morphology and syntax of texts, and the ways in which these condition readers' interpretations of texts. The course will have three aspects:
1) the methods and theories of stylistics will be introduced, from dialogue to discourse and from metre to metaphor
2) students will read classic and contemporary essays from the field of stylistics
3) each week, students will discuss a particular literary text, putting into practice the skills of stylistic analysis gained on the course up to that point.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers

Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 31 August 2023 for 1st half-session courses and 22 December 2023 for 2nd half-session courses.

Summative Assessments

There are no assessments for this course.

Formative Assessment