Functional Stylistics in the TEXTUAL respect

Message Organization Patterns for Literary Discourse

Authors

  • Xuanwei Peng Beijing Normal University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v10i3.29301

Keywords:

aesthetic effect, analysis, functional stylistics, information, literary discourse, pattern of organisation, thematization

Abstract

Systemic Functional Linguistics has experienced over 40 years of application to literary discourse analysis and gained considerable achievements, with particular reference to the ideational and interpersonal areas. Contrary to that situation is the textual area, which, except for cohesion, is much less explored in thematization and information. This paper aims to fill this gap. Taking the short narrative text Gehenna I investigate thematic and information creating patterns for their aesthetic effects. There exist types of unfolding routines in literary texts that are oriented towards stylistic goals. The observations manifest once again the power of SFL in its appliability.

Author Biography

  • Xuanwei Peng, Beijing Normal University

    (Alex) Xuanwei Peng, Doctor of Literature, full Professor, Director for the Centre for Functional Linguistics, Chair of China Association of Functional Linguistics, and executive member of the International Systemic Functional Linguistics Association. He was elected New Century Excellent Talent of the Ministry of Education in 2005, and was Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon, USA, from 2007 to 2008. Author of over 120 academic articles and seven monographs, including ‘Potential Categorization Process of Shuowen Jiezi from the SFG Perspective: Systemic Analysis and Computational Description based on the Conceptual Blending Theory’ (2010), An Introduction to Language and Linguistics: Chinese Systemic Functional Grammar (2011) and Appraisal Stylistics (2015); editor-in-chief of two conference proceedings, eight volumes of linguistics readers and 13 books of translated works, including An Introduction to Functional Grammar, Language as Social Semiotic, The Collected works of M.A.K Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan on Language. His research interests including theory and application of Systemic Functional Linguistics, Text Theory, Discourse Analysis, Stylistics, Corpus, and TEFL.

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Published

2015-12-14

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Peng, X. (2015). Functional Stylistics in the TEXTUAL respect: Message Organization Patterns for Literary Discourse. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 10(3), 263-294. https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v10i3.29301

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