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ENG434

Literary Stylistics

  • Arts
  • 400 level
  • 3 credit units
  • 130 pages
  • 21 units

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of literary stylistics. It explores the concepts of style and stylistics, covering various types and levels of linguistic analysis, including phono-graphological, syntactic, and lexico-semantic aspects. The course also examines cohesion, coherence, and foregrounding techniques. Students will learn about basic literary genres, analyze the language of literature, and conduct practical stylistic analyses of prose, poetry, and drama.

About this course

Difficulty
Intermediate
Study hours
42 hours
Maths
None
Content
Theoretical, practical, case study, problem solving
Practical work
Yes
How it is assessed
  • Assignments
  • Tutor marked assessments
  • Final examination

One paragraph, so you can see how it reads

ENG434 · UNIT 1 THE CONCEPTS OF STYLE AND STYLISTICS

Simply put, the notion of style as the man sees style as an index of personality. Put in another way, this perspective sees style as individuality (Olateju 2016). In other words a speaker’s or a writer’s style is their idiolect – their individual way of deploying language.

What you should be able to do

  1. Define and explain style and stylistics.
  2. Identify and describe major levels of linguistic description.
  3. List and discuss basic genres of literature and their elements.
  4. Distinguish between cohesion and coherence in texts.
  5. Explain and apply foregrounding techniques.
  6. Describe and analyze the register of a text.
  7. Identify and discuss points of view in literary works.
  8. Carry out meaningful stylistic analyses of various texts.

What it prepares you for

Careers
  • Editor
  • Content Writer
  • Literary Critic
  • Teacher
  • Journalist
Where it is applied
  • Publishing
  • Journalism
  • Education
  • Media
  • Content Creation

Where it gets hard

The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.

  • Module 2: LEVELS OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS

    Unit 5: Foregrounding

    Foregrounding involves understanding deviations from linguistic norms and requires a strong grasp of linguistic rules and conventions to identify and analyze effectively.

  • Module 2: LEVELS OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS

    Unit 3: Levels of Linguistic Analysis (iii) (The Syntactic Level)

    Syntactic analysis requires a deep understanding of grammatical structures and the ability to identify deviations from standard word order, which can be challenging for students unfamiliar with advanced grammar concepts.

A suggested way through it

Suggested

13 weeks, about 26 hours in total. Yours will differ.

  1. Week 1Module 1: STYLE AND STYLISTICS
    • Unit 1: The Concepts of Style and Stylistics · 2 hours

      Read the unit introduction and objectives.. Define style and stylistics.. Identify and explain perspectives on style.. Explain stylistics as a multi-dimensional discipline.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  2. Week 2Module 1: STYLE AND STYLISTICS
    • Unit 2: The Nature and Goals of Stylistics · 2 hours

      Define stylistics further and explain its nature.. Discuss the concept of style in stylistics and mention various approaches to style.. Explain the goals of stylistics.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercises and Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  3. Week 3Module 1: STYLE AND STYLISTICS
    • Unit 3: Types of Stylistics (i) · 2 hours

      Distinguish between linguistic and literary stylistics.. Identify features for linguistic stylistic analysis.. Explain stylistic analysis of literary text.. Complete Self-Assessment Exercises and Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  4. Week 4Module 1: STYLE AND STYLISTICS
    • Unit 4: Types of Stylistics (ii) · 2 hours

      Identify types of stylistics apart from linguistic and literary.. Explain reader-response, affective, pragmatic, pedagogical, and forensic stylistics.. Describe methods of each type of stylistics.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  5. Week 5Module 2: LEVELS OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
    • Unit 1: Levels of Linguistic Analysis (i) (The Phono-graphological Level) · 2 hours

      Explain the phono-graphological level of language description.. Identify features focused on at the phono-graphological level.. Carry out a phono-graphological analysis of a text.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  6. Week 6Module 2: LEVELS OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
    • Unit 2: Levels of Linguistic Analysis (ii) (The Lexico-Semantic Level) · 2 hours

      Explain the lexico-semantic level of language description.. Distinguish between denotation and connotation.. Mention and explain lexical relations.. Carry out a stylistic analysis of a text at the lexico-semantic level.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  7. Week 7Module 2: LEVELS OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
    • Unit 3: Levels of Linguistic Analysis (iii) (The Syntactic Level) · 2 hours

      Mention grammatical elements relevant to syntactic analysis.. State the elements of the clause in English.. Describe the structure of the nominal group in English.. Carry out a stylistic analysis of the syntactic features of a text.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  8. Week 8Module 2: LEVELS OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
    • Unit 4: Cohesion and Coherence · 2 hours

      Define cohesion and coherence.. Identify cohesive ties in texts.. Analyse a text from the point of view of cohesion and coherence.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  9. Week 9Module 2: LEVELS OF LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
    • Unit 5: Foregrounding · 2 hours

      Define the concept of foregrounding.. Explain the stylistic importance of foregrounding.. Identify foregrounding in texts.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  10. Week 10Module 3: BASIC GENRES OF LITERATURE AND THEIR ELEMENTS
    • Unit 1: Forms of Literature · 2 hours

      Identify the three basic forms of literature.. Describe the features of each form.. Mention types of drama and poetry.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  11. Week 11Module 3: BASIC GENRES OF LITERATURE AND THEIR ELEMENTS
    • Unit 2: Elements of Prose · 2 hours

      Define prose fiction.. Identify major elements of prose fiction.. Analyse a prose text in terms of its elements.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  12. Week 12Module 3: BASIC GENRES OF LITERATURE AND THEIR ELEMENTS
    • Unit 3: Elements of Poetry · 2 hours

      Define poetry.. Explain the uniqueness of poetry.. Identify elements of poetry.. Carry out a stylistic analysis of a poem.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

  13. Week 13Module 3: BASIC GENRES OF LITERATURE AND THEIR ELEMENTS
    • Unit 4: Elements of Drama · 2 hours

      Define drama.. List and explain basic elements of drama.. Carry out a stylistic analysis of a piece of drama.. Complete Tutor-Marked Assignments..

Preparing for the exam

What to do
  • Create detailed outlines for each module, focusing on key concepts and definitions.
  • Practice stylistic analysis on diverse texts (prose, poetry, drama) to improve application skills.
  • Develop flashcards for linguistic terms (phonology, syntax, semantics) and review them regularly.
  • Form study groups to discuss challenging units like Foregrounding and Syntactic Analysis.
  • Review all Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMAs) and Self-Assessment Exercises (SAEs) thoroughly.
  • Allocate specific time slots for each module weekly to ensure consistent progress.
  • Create concept maps linking Units 3-5 database concepts
  • Practice SQL queries from Units 7-9 weekly

Questions students ask about this course

What is ENG434 about?

This course introduces students to the theory and practice of literary stylistics. It explores the concepts of style and stylistics, covering various types and levels of linguistic analysis, including phono-graphological, syntactic, and lexico-semantic aspects. The course also examines cohesion, coherence, and foregrounding techniques. Students will learn about basic literary genres, analyze the language of literature, and conduct practical stylistic analyses of prose, poetry, and drama.

How many units does ENG434 have?

ENG434, Literary Stylistics, has 21 units across 5 modules, over 130 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.

How many credit units is ENG434?

ENG434 carries 3 credit units, at 400 level in Arts.

Is ENG434 hard?

ENG434 is rated intermediate level, with no mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical, practical, case study and problem solving work, and it has a practical component.

How long does ENG434 take to study?

About 42 hours of study, spread across its 21 units.

How is ENG434 assessed?

ENG434 is assessed by assignments, tutor marked assessments and final examination.

What can I do with ENG434?

Editor, Content Writer, Literary Critic, Teacher and Journalist.

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