Exploring the Language of Poems, Plays and Prose (Learning About Language)

Rating:
Summary: great introduction to stylistics
Review: I read this book during the summer before beginning a Master's in stylistics. At the time I knew very little about stylistics (only that it's main focus was on linguistic analysis of literature), methods of stlyistic analysis, or recent research in stylistics. This book was a life-saver!

Short is a leading authority in the area of stylistics, and he writes in a manner that is clear and unlikely to cause confusion or consternation. He introduces all the most basic methods of stlystic analysis, using plenty of examples to clarify the theories. Introductory exercises are given and discussed at the end of each chapter, so the serious student can get started on some basic stylistic analysis of texts.

One of the best things about this book is the "checksheet" provided at the end of each chapter. Short summarizes the main points talked about in each chapter and presents them in a checklist format, along with questions to hone in on specific aspects of each point. These checklists make it easy to begin your own stylistic analysis of any text, getting straight into the text from the very beginning.