Simpson, Paul Stylistics (0415644976)

Assuming no prior knowledge, books in the series offer an accessible overview of the subject, with activities, study questions, sample analyses, commentaries and key readings – all in the same volume. The innovative and flexible ‘two-dimensional’ structure is built around four sections – introduction, development, exploration and extension – which offer self-contained stages for study. Each topic can be read across these sections, enabling the reader to build gradually on the knowledge gained.

Written in a clear and accessible style, Stylistics, Second Edition is a comprehensive resource which covers all the major theories, concepts and methods required for the investigation of language in literature. From metre to metaphor, dialogue to discourse, the main topics are introduced and fully elaborated, as are the key research paradigms of this important and exciting field of study. Stylistics is richly illustrated with many examples from literary texts, including writing from the established literary canon alongside more contemporary work in poetry, prose and drama. Each of the book’s twelve chapters contains clearly framed suggestions for practical work and is accompanied by an original reading on the relevant topic by a world-renowned scholar.

This exciting new second edition builds on the strengths of the first by adding many fresh exercises and worked examples. It captures the latest major developments in stylistics, such as corpus, cognitive and multimodal approaches to the study of style, and its accompanying website has also been substantially revised to feature, amongst other things, useful links, worked examples and a new web strand on style and humour. In addition to the classic readings in stylistics contained in the first edition, the new edition includes a number of recent, stimulating readings by key figures in the contemporary field. Written by an experienced teacher and researcher, this accessible textbook is an essential resource for all students of English language, linguistics and literature.