Stylistic

Analysis of
SHORT
FICTION
 DEFINITION
Stylistic analysis in linguistics refers to the
identification of patterns of usage
in speech and writing.

Stylistic analysis in literary studies is usually made for

the purpose of commenting on quality and meaning in
a text.
 DEFINITION
A short story is a short work of fiction.

Fiction, as you know, is prose writing about imagined

events and characters.

Prose writing differs from poetry in that it does not

depend on verses, meters or rhymes for its organization
and presentation.
 LINGUISTICS VS LITERARY STUDY

In linguistics the In literary studies the

purpose of close analysis purpose is usually an
is to identify and classify adjunct to understanding,
the elements of language exegesis, and
being used. interpretation.

In both cases, an extremely detailed and

scrupulous attention is paid to the TEXT.

This process may now be aided by computer

programs which able to analyse texts
 Stylistic Analysis of Short Fiction

The TIME

The
The SETTING
Characters

Composition
and POINT OF
development Analysis VIEW
of PLOT
Composition and development of the PLOT
Plot is a literary term used to describe the events that make up
a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each
other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends
on the organization of events in the plot of the story.

How is the text organised and the action arranged? (remember this is the author
s deliberate
choice).

Divide the story into sections and give each section a headline. This will help you to see the
development of the story more clearly.

Is there a climax?
If so, how does the author build up to it
And where is it?

If not, is there an anti-climax? (a build-up to a climax which is never realised)

Which EFFECT does the presence or absence of the climax have?

 The Setting and Time
Setting is an environment or surrounding in which an event
or story takes place.

Setting could be simply descriptive like a lonely cottage on a mountain.

Social conditions, historical time, geographical locations, weather,
immediate surroundings, and timing are all different aspects of setting.

Where does the story take place?

How is the setting described

which words are used and in how much
detail?
 The Setting ad Time
The setting is both the time and geographic location within a
narrative or within a work of fiction.
A literary element, the setting helps initiate the main backdrop and
mood for a story
Elements of setting may include culture, historical period, geography,
and hour.

When does the story take place?

What is the time span of the story? (how

long a period of time does it cover)

What is the time sequence (chronological

or with jumpsin time)
 The characters
Another essential story element is the character.

Character can be defined as any person, animal, or figure

represented in a literary work. There are many types
ofcharacters that exist in literature, each with its own development
and function.

Which characters are introduced?

How are they described (e.g. age, gender,

occupation, social background etc.)

Which characters are main characters?

Which are side characters?

How are they created:
 Point of View: (P.O.V)
Point of view is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion,
or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. In literature, point of
view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers
hear and see what takes place in a story, poem, essay etc.

The way a story is told is always affected by the temper

of the person through whose eyes it is seen, i.e. through
its point of view:
Through whose eyes do we see what is going on in the
text?

Through the narrator

s eyes?
Through one or more characters eyes?
Through many different points of view
For the CERTAIN extent move beyond the text and connect it to:

Context

Authors Background

Other Text

Social and Historical Circumstances