Analyzing Style in Literature

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Recommended: Literary devices and their use

Analyzing Style in Literature The style of a piece is a function of the writer’s craft or the techniques used by the writer to communicate his ideas. To discuss the style of work of literature, consider the diction (vocabulary choices), the syntax (sentence construction) and the tone (author’s attitude toward the subject and the reader). A. DICTION: When analyzing diction, consider the following: ============================================================ - figurative language (use of simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, allusion, irony, metonymy, symbolism) - abstract or concrete words - denotative or connotative words - monosyllabic or polysyllabic words - archaic diction - formal or colloquial English - slang, clichés, idioms, foreign phrases - sound effects: onomatopoeia, alliteration, euphony, cacophy - jargon, technical language B. SYNTAX: Sentence structure and Rhetorical Devices - long or short sentences - loose or periodic sentences - balanced sentences - parallel sentences - rhetorical questions - syntactic inversion - epigram - paradox - climactic sentences - Methods of achieving emphasis: i. Repetition ii. Climactic order iii. Periodic sentences iv. Short sentences v. Active rather than passive verbs vi. Parallel structures and balanced sentences vii. Antithesis viii. Chiasmus C. TONE – analysis of the author’s attitude toward the subject and the reader ====================================================================== - sincere, genuine, honest - satirical, ironic,... ... middle of paper ... ... happens, between what is said and what is meant, between the supposed and the actual, etc Balanced Sentence – symmetry in sentence structure with the clauses on either side of a coordinate conjunction (but, and yet) being approximately equal grammatically. Eg – He could not love her, yet he could not hate her. Parallel Structure – Balancing one statement against another in words, clauses or phrases of similar length and grammatical structure. Eg. “I do not doubt by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and by your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over the enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.” Euphemism – a substitution or a less distasteful word or expression for the harsh or unpleasant truth. Eg. “He was under the influence of liquor.”

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