EL-ELECT-2ND-SESSION
Page 1: Introduction
Greeting: Good Evening!
Date: January 22, 2025
Page 2: Topics
Topic Focus: Rhetorics and History of Stylistics
Page 3: What is Rhetoric?
Definition
Rhetoric: The art of persuading someone through speech and writing.
Origin
Birthplace: Ancient Greece, 15th century B.C.
Notable Philosophers: Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle were influential in developing rhetoric.
Key Purposes
Inform: Convey information effectively.
Persuade: Convince others with arguments.
Motivate: Inspire action or response.
Page 4: Rhetorics Overview
Rhetorical Discourse
Discourse: Form of communication aimed at enhancing the capacity to inform, persuade, or motivate audiences.
Historical Context
Established in the 5th century B.C. in ancient Greece.
Page 5: Examples of Rhetorical Stylistics
Famous Works:
"I Have A Dream" by Martin Luther King Jr.
"Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln.
Page 6: Quote from Martin Luther King
Key Quote: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." (August 28, 1963)
Page 7: Another Key Quote
Quote: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Page 8: Gettysburg Address Context
Historical Background
Battle of Gettysburg: Significant Civil War battle (July 1-3, 1863).
Importance: Delivered by Abraham Lincoln during the dedication of the cemetery for Union soldiers.
Theme: A "new birth of freedom."
Notable Date
Date of Speech: November 19, 1863.
Page 9: Importance of Rhetoric in Writing
Efficiency and Considerations
Importance of Effective Writing:
Saves time in communication.
Key Considerations in Writing:
Audience: Who will read this?
Purpose: What is the point?
Adjust voice, tone, and persona based on the context.
Page 10: Rhetoric Recap
Definition and Purpose
Rhetoric: Persuasion through discourse.
Historical Significance
Established in ancient Greece, rooted in theories of persuasion by philosophers such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle.
Page 11: Emergence of Stylistics
Overview
Field of Stylistics: Emerged in the 20th century.
Historical Roots
Ancient Origins: Links to oral expressions of Aristotle's Rhetoric.
Key Publications
1966: Roger Fowler published "Essays on Style and Language," marking the beginning of modern stylistics.
Stylistics aims for precise language treatment, contrary to New Criticism.
Page 12: Russian Formalism
Connection to Stylistics
Roots of stylistics in Russian literary criticism and formalism at the turn of the 20th century.
Concept
Poetic Language: Language focused on the message itself.
Page 13: Prague Formalism
Development
Jakobson's move to Czechoslovakia led to the establishment of the Prague Linguistic Circle in 1926 by Jan Mukarovsky.
Focus
Distinctions between literary and non-literary writing.
Page 14: Notable Figures in Stylistics
Roman Jakobson: Poetic Language.
Jan Mukarovsky: Prague Formalism highlighted aesthetic language.
Victor Shklovsky: Introduced concept of Defamiliarization.
Page 15: Concept Development
Defamiliarization and Parallelism
Defamiliarization: Structural patterning resulting in a fresh perspective on familiar concepts.
Parallelism: Stylistic repetition for clarity and logical similarity in thought.
Page 16: Defamiliarization
Definition
Draws attention to familiar things, making them seem alien, or emphasizes the act of writing itself.
Page 17: Parallelism
Overview
Syntactic arrangement with similar patterns.
Enhances clarity and helps readers grasp logical similarities.
Page 18: European Developments in Stylistics
Historical Impact
Jakobson's journey as a scholar influenced the spread of his ideas.
Key Figures
Leo Spitzer: Developed a literary analysis involving a linguistic framework for objectivity in interpretation.
Page 19: Literary Analysis Evolution
Contributions
Spitzer promoted empirical analysis over impressionism, impacting modern stylistics.
Page 20: New and Practical Criticism
Influence of Formalism
Origin influenced New Criticism and Practical Criticism, focusing on textual language.
Key Proponents
New Criticism: Brooks and Warren emphasized aesthetic qualities.
Practical Criticism: I. A. Richards focused on psychological aspects of reader comprehension.
Page 21: Insights from Formalism
Modern Stylistics
Willie van Peer and Geoffrey Leech contributed to the understanding of foregrounding in text.
Cognitive Influences
Foregrounding directly related to cognitive concepts of figure and ground in cognitive stylistics.
Page 22: Influence of Chomskyan Linguistics
Noam Chomsky’s Role
Chomsky's linguistics focused on structures that, while not aimed at literary texts, impacted stylistics.
Page 23: Linguistic Structures in Poetry
Reflection of Linguistic Dominance
Literary studies have largely focused on semantics and syntax in line with Chomsky's theories.