Lecture Goals, objectives and methods of linguo-stylistic analysis of a literary text

Lecture 1.

Goals, objectives and methods of linguo-stylistic analysis of a literary text.

1. 
   Prerequisites and necessity of a linguo-stylistic approach to a literary text.
   
2. 
   Linguo-stylistic analysis of the text.
   

3. Goals and objectives of the course "Linguo-stylislic analysis of literary text"

4. Methods for the literary text analysis.

Key words: linguo-stylistic analysis, literary text, "techniques of thinking", analytical reading, reading and writing skills, linguistic techniques, interpretation, structural analysis, author's deviations, line-by-line analysis, transformation, writing-to-learn.

1. Prerequisites and need for a linguo-stylistic approach to a literary text.

The twentieth century made adjustments to the theory and practice of literature, delimiting literary and linguistic aspects of the analysis of a literary text within philology. The assertion that “the text on one side is turned towards literary criticism and the other towards linguistics” (see Slyusareva, 1982, p. 41) has become a commonplace. Literary criticism has traditionally been engaged in the study, first of all, of the ideological and thematic content of literary works, their genre and compositional originality, and linguistics - the study of the linguistic means that function in the text and ensure their construction. Thus, the linguo-stylistic analysis of a literary text presupposes a detailed and thorough analysis of linguistic means “under a linguistic microscope” (expression of N. M. Shansky) in order to reveal their role and functions in the ideological and thematic content of the text (the way from word to content).

The need for a linguo-stylistic approach to the analysis of a literary text is due to the fact that in the field of text research during the 20th century, in the direction from Russian formalism to the structuralism of the 60s, there was a tendency to integrate (enter) such related disciplines as poetics, psycholinguistics, anthropology, semiotics, etc.

Linguistic analysis of a literary text develops the skills of analytical reading which is essential for the formation of a modern philologist. This course teaches not only the techniques of analysis, but also the "techniques of thinking."

Analytical reading skills make it possible to develop the ability not only to passively receive information from a literary text, but also to actively analyze it and subsequently interpret it correctly. It is worth noting an interesting article by D. Akhapkin "Analytical reading and writing in the system of modern education", which notes that literature does not form, but improves our ability to interpret events. Any improvement in the interpretation of various situations and the assessment of possible scenarios, actions or reactions based not only on the observed or reliably reported material, but also on thought experiments which gives a significant advantage. [Akhapkin, 2014: 171]

For example, Natalie Phillips's article in The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Literary Studies, edited by L. Zunshine. [Zunshine, 2015] is proof of the abovementioned statements. Experimental research by an interdisciplinary team led by Phillips, aimed to identify differences in attention mechanisms between reading for pleasure and analytical ("slow") reading (based on the novels by J. Austin “Persuasion” and "Mansfield Park" ). Subjects tasked with reading the text in order to subsequently write an analytical essay demonstrated a significant increase in activity not only in the regions of the brain traditionally associated with reading, attention control and executive functions, but in almost all of the brain. This experiment clearly demonstrates the need to take analytical reading more seriously. One of the main practical tasks of the research is to radically change the attitude of both teachers and students to the analysis of the text and this can undoubtedly be done most vividly and interestingly using the example of high fiction.

In our opinion, the main mistake of many modern interpreters of literary text (teachers, analysts, critics, etc.) is that, unfortunately, their analysis is more culturological in nature, they often focus only on the historical context, the author's biography and ideological analysis ignoring the obvious fact that a literary work is impossible without language and therefore the linguistic component should be a priority, especially when preparing future philologists.

2. Linguo-stylistic analysis of the text.

What is linguo- stylistic analysis of the text?

“Linguo-stylistic analysis of a text is the study of the role and functions of various linguistic means in conveying the content of the text as well as the intention and style of the author. Text analysis with the linguio-stylistic approach enables to determine the types of linguistic techniques used in a literary work to express the peculiarities of an author's worldview, choice of time and place, personalities of characters as well as plot structure and its development.

In modern science and practice, linguistic analysis of a literary text consists of incomplete (partial) and complete analysis. The first case emphasizes on the linguistic dominant which forms the stylistic dominant together with an author’s core idea. In the second case, units of all levels of the linguistic structure of the text are studied in their aesthetic unity and interaction. Linguo-stylistic analysis of the text is a complete analysis of the text.

Linguo-stylistic analysis of a literary text supplemented by extralinguistic commentary, genre and stylistic characteristics is the subject of our course.

3. Goals and objectives of the course "Linguo-stylislic analysis of literary text"

The purpose of the special course "Lingvo-stylistic analysis of a literary text" is to form the concept of the text as an object of scientific research and a subject of linguistic study from the standpoint of modern scientific knowledge in line with the synergetic-psychological , communicative-pragmatic and cognitive paradigms.

During the course students develop an idea of ​​the specifics of a literary text, the criteria according to which a particular text can be considered as literary one; discuss the difference between analysis and interpretation procedures; analyze the reasons why the text needs interpretation. Students master the tools of modern linguistic and stylistic analysis, gaining basic information from various scientific fields, such as structural poetics, receptive aesthetics, narratology and cognitive poetics. The course objectives are to analyze a number of English and American literary work in order to grasp the text in its full diversity of internal structure and external connections (within the context, subtexts, genre, etc.)

Each lesson consists of a discussion of the theoretical premises of the linguo-stylistic interpretation of a literary text followed by joint practical work of the teacher and students on the interpretation of one or more literary texts.

The objectives of the course are:

1) conceptualizing the text as a system

2) identifying the features and main categories of literary

text as a special aesthetic reality;

3) learning about principles and criteria of the typology of texts;

4) develop the necessary skills for structural analysis of a literary text.

4. Methods for the literary text analysis.

Methods for analyzing a literary text depend on its characteristics, specifics and research goals. These methods include:

1) linguo-stylistic commenting;

2)functional and stylistic analysis;

3) quantitative characteristics of text elements when studying the style of the writer;

4) the method of selective consideration, analysis and explanation of language difficulties, individual author's deviations from general language norms;

5) the method of line-by-line analysis of a coherent text in its dynamic length and integrity. This method is based on identifying interconnection between micro- and macro-images. Line-by-line analysis requires consideration of strict, artistically fixed sequence of literary text and dynamics of these images in fiction. The practical lessons will primarily use this method.

6) a method of cross-cutting and complex analysis of the entire work as a whole, its compositional, figurative and linguistic structure;

7) the method of linguistic experiment - transformation, changing the structure of the syntactic structure while maintaining the conceptual content of a phrase, a passage;

8) method of comparison: 1) author's options; 2) the way different writers develop a theme;

3) difference between original literary texts and their translations

9) heuristic method - comprehension and thinking on through structure of the

text.

All of the above methods will be analyzed and used in the analysis of texts in seminars. Moreover, almost every text analysis will be accompanied by written creative work.

Teaching active reading skills is essential while using various types of formal and informal written assignments that are consolidated, generalized and built into already existing system of knowledge. In American universities, this approach has long been known as writing-to-learn, literally "writing to learn." What does it mean to write to learn rather than learn to write? Must point out that students learn and retain more content when they are active participants in their own learning. This means that students must be asked to do more than repeat information that they have heard or read. Writing is a crucial component for students being active in their learning. It is a way for students to access higher order thinking, integrate information across the disciplines and reflect upon their own learning process. It should be noted that writing in this case is much more than learning grammar, style and mechanics.

The course of linguo-stylistic analysis of a literary text contributes to the creation of a powerful general educational background, a kind of general "cushion of knowledge" is unthinkable without courses that develop such reading and writing skills - it allows you to develop the ability not only to passively receive knowledge from a teacher, but also to actively learn by communicating with each other.

The importance and necessity of reading (especially analytical one) confirm the words of Joseph Brodsky. “In my opinion, books should come to every porch like electricity, like milk in England, like communal amenities and the price should be minimal. And in any case, poems should be sold in pharmacies (if only because they brighten up the bill from which you are terrified). And, of course, an anthology of American poetry should be in the nightstand of every hotel room next to a Bible that will not object to such proximity, it does not complain about the proximity of the telephone directory. "

Recommended literature:

1. 
   Бабенко Л.Г.,Казарин Ю.В.Филологический анализ текста: практикум.-М.-Екатеринбург,2003.
   
2. 
   БабенкоЛ.Г.Филологический анализ текста. Основы теории,принципы и аспекты анализа.Москва-Екатеринбург, 2004.
   
3. 
   Ахапкин Н.Д. Аналитическое чтение и письмо в системе современного образования. // Либеральное образование в России Теории, Дискуссии, Методы. Санкт-Петербург, 2014. С. 166-187.
   
4. 
   Ненарокова М.Р. Основы лингвостилистического анализа текста. Учебное пособие. Москва,2018.
   
5. 
   Бродский И. А. Сочинения Иосифа Бродского. — СПб., 1998
   
6. 
   Zunshine. L. The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Literary Studies N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2015. — XVIII, 656 p
   
7. 
   Кольцова Л.М., Лунина О.А.. Художественный текст в современной лингвистической парадигме: Учебно-методическое пособие для вузов. Воронеж, 2007.- с.50.