Stylistic Analysis of Robert Frost's 'The Secret Sits' and William Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 18'

Exposé Écrit pour un Séminaire / Cours , 2004 , 9 Pages , Note: 2,0

Philologie Anglaise - Linguistique

The paper is divided in two parts: the first deals with the poem "The Secret Sits" by Robert Frost. It tries to illustrate and state the aims of linguistic stylstics.
The second and bigger part deals with a principle of Stylistics: Stylistics requires “precision of reference to the text in support of a particular interpretation”, and emphatically not “precision of interpretation” (based on H.G. Widdowson).
Starting from this principle the paper offers a stylistic interpretation of William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• QUESTION 1. Do a stylistic analysis of the following poem by Robert Frost, and use your analysis to illustrate and state explicitly the aims of linguistic stylistics.
• QUESTION 2. Explain the following principle and illustrate it with reference to precise linguistic patterns in any one of the texts which we have discussed during the course. The formulation is based on H.G. Widdowson (1992) Practical Stylistics. OUP, p. xii.

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The purpose of this text is to demonstrate the principles of linguistic stylistics by analyzing two poems, Robert Frost's "The Secret Sits" and William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. The text aims to illustrate how stylistic analysis can be used to understand the meaning and effect of literary texts. The author also explores the relationship between textual evidence and interpretation.

• Stylistic analysis of literary texts
• Relationship between textual evidence and interpretation
• Use of linguistic features to convey meaning
• Interpretation of literary texts through stylistic analysis
• The role of word fields in shaping interpretation

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• The first chapter provides a stylistic analysis of Robert Frost's "The Secret Sits", demonstrating the importance of vocabulary, word order, and sound patterns in conveying meaning. The chapter also explores the concept of personification and its role in literary analysis.
• The second chapter focuses on the principle of "precision of reference to the text in support of a particular interpretation" as outlined by H.G. Widdowson. It illustrates this principle through a detailed analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, analyzing the different word fields present in the sonnet and exploring the multiple interpretations that can be derived from them.
• The third chapter continues the analysis of Sonnet 18, focusing on the "stair pattern" structure of the sonnet and how it contributes to the overall meaning and effect. It also explores the use of anaphora, alliteration, and other stylistic devices in the sonnet.
• The fourth chapter examines the different interpretations of Sonnet 18, exploring the possibility of a business-related interpretation based on the use of commercial and nautical vocabulary.
• The fifth chapter further explores the use of nautical vocabulary in Sonnet 18, suggesting a possible connection to Greek mythology and the crossing of the river Styx. It also discusses the significance of intertextuality in shaping interpretation.
• The sixth chapter concludes the analysis of Sonnet 18 by examining the role of word placement in shaping interpretation and highlighting the importance of close examination of the linguistic particularities of a text.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of the text include stylistic analysis, linguistic features, textual evidence, interpretation, word fields, personification, anaphora, alliteration, intertextuality, and the works of Robert Frost and William Shakespeare. The text also explores concepts such as "precision of interpretation" and the relationship between language and meaning.

• Université: University of Trier (FB II Anglistik)
• Cours: Stylistics (of literary texts)
• Note: 2,0
• Auteur: Magister Artium Christoph Höbel (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2004
• Pages: 9
• N° de catalogue: V145007
• ISBN (ebook): 9783640560219
• ISBN (Livre): 9783640560257
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, The Secret Sits, Sonnet 18, Stylistics, Widdowson, Linguistics, Literature