Lecture (1+2) Introduction: key concepts in stylistics

Transcription

1 Lecture (1+2) Introduction: key concepts in stylistics

2 Page (2) defining Stylistics According to Lecercle, nobody has ever really known what the term stylistics means, and in any case, hardly anyone seems to care (Lecercle 1993: 14).

3 Page (2) defining Stylistics Stylistics is a method of textual interpretation in which primacy of place is assigned to language. The reason why language is so important to stylisticians is because the various forms, patterns and levels that constitute linguistic structure are an important index of the function of the text. The text s functional significance as discourse acts in turn as a gateway to its interpretation. While linguistic features do not of themselves constitute a text s meaning, an account of linguistic features nonetheless serves to ground a stylistic interpretation and to help explain why, for the analyst, certain types of meaning are possible.

4 Page (3) the purpose of Stylistics To do stylistics is to explore language, and, more specifically, to explore creativity in language use. Doing stylistics thereby enriches our ways of thinking about language and, as observed, exploring language offers a substantial purchase on our understanding of (literary) texts.

5 Page (3) the purpose of Stylistics the practice of stylistics as conforming to the following three basic principles, cast mnemonically as three Rs : stylistic analysis should be rigorous stylistic analysis should be retrievable stylistic analysis should be replicable.

6 Page (5) Levels of language

7 Page (8) Levels of language

8 Exercise1 The following untitled poem was published in 1939 by the American poet e e cummings:

9 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

10 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

11 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

12 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

13 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

14 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky which aspects of language, in particular, the poet is manipulating. (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

15 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

16 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

17 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

18 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

19 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

20 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

21 Take first of all the conventional usage of the structure, as embodied in the proverb Blood is thicker than water. Here the comparative adjective thicker connects up the entity blood with the key item in the scope element, water. Moreover, so that the adjective can, as it were, do its job, the entities thus compared need to be compatible at least in some measure both blood and water are liquids, for example, and it is their relative viscosity that forms the nub of the comparison. A comparison of love might therefore reasonably anticipate another noun element which derives from the broad compass of human emotion, yet nothing of the sort is offered by cummings. Instead, it is verbs, of all things, which often fill the position reserved for the compared entity.

22 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

23 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky provide circumstantial information about the duration and time-frame in which a verbal process did or did not take place. (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

24 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

25 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

26 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

27 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

28 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

29 love is more thicker than forget more thinner than recall more seldom than a wave is wet more frequent than to fail it is most mad and moonly and less it shall unbe than all the sea which only is deeper than the sea love is less always than to win less never than alive less bigger than the least begin less littler than forgive it is most sane and sunly and more it cannot die than all the sky which only is higher than the sky (cummings 1954 [1939]: 381)

30 Page (10) GRAMMAR AND STYLE grammar somewhat of an intimidating area of analysis for the beginning stylistician because it is not always easy to sort out which aspects of a text s many interlocking patterns of grammar are stylistically salient.

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32 Page (14) Variations in basic clause structure neither the Subject, Complement nor Adjunct elements are essential components of clause structure.

33 Page (15) Metre Metre is, most simply put, an organised pattern of strong and weak syllables. Key to the definition is the proviso that metrical patterning should be organised, and in such a way that the alternation between accentuated syllables and weak syllables is repeated. That repetition, into a regular phrasing across a line of verse, is what makes rhythm. Rhythm is therefore a patterned movement of pulses in time which is defined both by periodicity (it occurs at regular time intervals) and repetition (the same pulses occur again and again).

34 FOOT ADJECTIVE STRESS PATTERN EXAMPLES Iamb Iambic da-dum except, the DEER Trochee Trochaic DUM-da ASKing, LOST it Anapest Anapestic da-da-dum understand Dactyl Dactylic DUM-da-da HEAvily, TALK to me Spondee Spondaic DUM-DUM HEARTBREAK, FAITHFUL Pyrrhic Pyrrhic da-da in the, on a

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36 Page (15) Metre Alliteration is a type of rhyme scheme which is based on similarities between consonants.

37 Alliteration

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41 Page (18) jingle jingle; that is, a phonologically contoured text designed by advertisers as an aide memoire.

42 I'd like to buy the world a home And furnish it with love Grow apple trees and honey bees And snow white turtle doves. Chorus: I'd like to teach the world to sing In perfect harmony I'd like to buy the world a Coke And keep it company That's the real thing. (Repeat chorus) I'd like to teach the world to sing In perfect harmony I'd like to buy the world a Coke And keep it company That's the real thing Chorus 2: What the world wants today Coca-Cola (background) Is the real thing (Repeat chorus 2) What the world wants today Coca-Cola (background) Is the real thing

43 Exercise 2 First, read the poem The Comber by Michel Longley and work through the questions, and if you have to, double-check their terms of reference by looking again at the other units to which they relate.

44 The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000) 1. What can we say about general patterns of grammar in the poem? 2. What can we say about foregrounded patterns of grammar in the poem? 3. What can we say about sound and rhythm in the poem? 4. What can we say about the graphology of the poem? 5. What can we say about vocabulary and word structure in the poem? 6. In what other ways might the poem have been written?

45 1. What can we say about general patterns of grammar in the poem? The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000)

46 1. What can we say about general patterns of grammar in the poem? The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000)

47 2. What can we say about foregrounded patterns of grammar in the poem? The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000)

48 3. What can we say about sound and rhythm in the poem? a mo - ment be fore - the comb - er - turns in - to a - break- er sea - spray, rag ed - y - rain - bows Dactylic tetrameter wat - er - and sun - light cont - ain - all the - co lours and sus - pend - bet - ween In ish bo - fin - and - me,

49 3. What can we say about sound and rhythm in the poem? The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000)

50 4. What can we say about the graphology of the poem? The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000)

51 5. What can we say about vocabulary and word structure in the poem? The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000)

52 6. In what other ways might the poem have been written? The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000)

53 6. In what other ways might the poem have been written? Very Much Not The Comber The Comber A moment before the comber turns into A breaker sea-spray, raggedy rainbows Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend between Inishbofin and me, The otter, and thus we meet, without my scent In her nostrils, the uproar of my presence, My unforgivable shadow on the sand Even if this is the only sound I make. (Longley 2000) Water and sunlight contain all the colours And suspend the otter between me and Inishbofin, A moment before the comber turns Into a sea-spray, ragged rainbows breaker. And thus we meet, without my scent in her nostrils, Without the uproar of my presence And without my unforgivable shadow on the sand, Even if this is the only sound I make.

54 Page (19) Narrative Stylistics Narrative requires development, elaboration, embellishment; and it requires a sufficient degree of stylistic flourish to give it an imprint of individuality or personality.

55 Page (20) Narrative Stylistics It is common for much work in stylistics and narratology to make a primary distinction between two basic components of narrative: narrative plot and narrative discourse. The term plot is generally understood to refer to the abstract storyline of a narrative; that is, to the sequence of elemental, chronologically ordered events which create the inner core of a narrative. Narrative discourse, by contrast, encompasses the manner or means by which that plot is narrated.

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57 e.g. Prophet Joseph s story in the holy texts

58 e.g. Prophet Joseph s story in the Holy Quran Narrative Plot Prelude and conclusion One complete story in one chapter More dialogues than narration Condensed short stories within the large story Transitions between stories Time transition Characters (main, marginal (but indispensable)) Narrative Discourse Prophets endurance History (nomadic life, trade, agriculture, economy,...etc.) Internal and external conflicts Envy Prediction Beauty and its consequences

59 Exercise 3 Below you will find a transcription of a story recorded during linguistic fieldwork in Northern Ireland. Although narrative analysis was not the primary aim of the fieldwork, the resulting interviews often involved informants telling of amusing episodes that had happened to them. This story, which took well under a minute to tell, is a fairly compact example of a natural narrative even if the storyteller has a somewhat sniffy attitude to the events described. In the transcription, pauses are indicated by three dots while other relevant glosses are placed in square brackets.

60 ... well erm a weird one [i.e. episode] happened to me a couple of years back... y know when I was working in Belfast at the time... I was out for erm out for a drive in the car the weekend y know of the May Bank holiday I think it was... erm... I picked up a hitchhiker thumbing a lift to Derry, rounabout Toome [a village]... I wouldn t often do that, mind you, but well I didn t mind the company that day. Rounabout Magherafelt [another village], yer man puts a cigarette in his mouth and looks at me, like sort of inquring y know... so I pushed in the dashboard lighter in the... [inaudible] When it popped out, I handed it to him but, b Jesus, after him lighting the fag he sorta glanced around like puzzled and ye wouldn t believe it, he opened the window on his side and... chucked the bloody lighter out into the field! There s not much you can say about a thing like that, is there?

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62 Page (22) Style as choice What is of interest to stylisticians is why one type of structure should be preferred to another, or why, from possibly several ways of representing the same happening, one particular type of depiction should be privileged over another.

63 Transitivity

64 Transitivity

65 Transitivity

66 Process type Meanings Examples Material actions and happenings (outside world; observable) He ran. The window broke. He climbed the tree. She made a cake. She broke the window. She gave him a present. Behavioural human and animal physiological behaviour; human verbal and mental behaviour He snored/coughed. He slept soundly. He breathed heavily. They shouted/cried/growled. He pondered/reflected over the problem. Mental perception, cognition and affective processes (inner world; not directly observable) I saw a bird, I heard a sound. I saw him cross the street. I knew the answers. I believe/think he is wrong. I fear the outcome. I like the smell. The woman scares me. The decision pleased me.

67 Process type Meanings Examples Verbal saying (mental process that becomes observable) He told a lie. He told a story. He said Hello. I m tired! he exclaimed. He answered that he was unaware of the decision. Existential existence There is a bird on the tree. Ghosts exist. Relational being and having He is a (famous) scientist. He is the head of the department. He has blue eyes/a car. Meteorological weather or time processes It s 8 o clock. It s noon. It s windy. It s raining/snowing.

68 Process type Participants Subtypes Examples Distinctive features/ Reactances CARRIER & ATTRIBUTE ATTRI- BUTIVE She is famous. She is a scientist. She has blue eyes. Presence of be or verbs comparable in meaning. RELATIONAL (being and having) TOKEN & VALUE IDENTIFY- ING She is the leader. The Aconcagua is the highest peak in America. No substitution by any verb S Present as unmarked tense in Present.

69 Exercise 4 Through glass darkly: through dark glasses. On stylistics and political commitment via a study of a passage from Sylvia Plath s The Bell Jar. In order to understand something of what is happening in the language of this passage, that gives rise to such responses, the following instructions enable us to get a firmer grasp of the persona s reality as constructed in the clause-by-clause makeup of the text as a whole: (1) isolate the processes per se, and find which participant (who or what) is doing each process; (2) find what sorts of process they are, and which participant is engaged in which type of process; (3) find who or what is affected by each of these processes.

70 TRANSITIVITY AT WORK: A FEMINIST-STYLISTIC APPLICATION The wall-eyed nurse came back. She unclasped my watch and dropped it in her pocket. Then she started tweaking the hairpins from my hair. Doctor Gordon was unlocking the closet. He dragged out a table on wheels with a machine on it and rolled it behind the head of the bed. The nurse started swabbing my temples with a smelly grease. As she leaned over to reach the side of my head nearest the wall, her fat breast muffled my face like a cloud or a pillow. A vague, medicinal stench emanated from her flesh. Don t worry, the nurse grinned down at me. Their first time everybody s scared to death. I tried to smile, but my skin had gone stiff, like parchment. Doctor Gordon was fitting two metal plates on either side of my head. He buckled them into place with a strap that dented my forehead, and gave me a wire to bite. I shut my eyes. There was a brief silence, like an indrawn breath. Then something bent down and took hold of me and shook me like the end of the world. Whee-ee-ee-ee-ee, it shrilled, through an air crackling with blue light, and with each flash a great jolt drubbed me till I thought my bones would break and the sap fly out of me like a split plant. I wondered what terrible thing it was that I had done. (Plath 1986 [1963]: 151 2)

71 TRANSITIVITY AT WORK: A FEMINIST-STYLISTIC APPLICATION (1) The wall-eyed nurse came back. (2) She unclasped my watch and dropped it in her pocket. (3) Then she started tweaking the hairpins from my hair. (4) Doctor Gordon was unlocking the closet. (5) He dragged out a table on wheels with a machine on it and rolled it behind the head of the bed. (6) The nurse started swabbing my temples with a smelly grease. (7) As she leaned over to reach the side of my head nearest the wall, her fat breast muffled my face like a cloud or a pillow. (8) A vague, medicinal stench emanated from her flesh. (9) Don t worry, the nurse grinned down at me. (10) Their first time everybody s scared to death. (11) I tried to smile, but my skin had gone stiff, like parchment. (12) Doctor Gordon was fitting two metal plates on either side of my head. (13) He buckled them into place with a strap that dented my forehead, and gave me a wire to bite. (14) I shut my eyes. (15) There was a brief silence, like an indrawn breath. (16) Then something bent down and took hold of me and shook me like the end of the world. (17) Whee-ee-ee-ee-ee, it shrilled, through an air crackling with blue light, and with each flash a great jolt drubbed me till I thought my bones would break and the sap fly out of me like a split plant. (18) I wondered what terrible thing it was that I had done. (Plath 1986 [1963]: 151 2)

72 Sentence No. Actor Process Type of processes 1 nurse came back material-action-intention 2a nurse unclasped material-action-intention b nurse dropped material-action-intention 3 nurse started tweaking material-action-intention 4 doctor was unlocking material-action-intention 5a doctor dragged out material-action-intention b doctor rolled material-action-intention 6 nurse started swabbing material-action-intention 7a nurse leaned over to reach material-action-intention b nurse s body part muffled material-action-supervention 8 nurse s body emanated material-event contingency 9a n.a. n.a. b nurse grinned material-action-intention 10 n.a. n.a. material-action-intention 11a persona tried to smile material-action-intention b persona s body part had gone stiff material-event 12 doctor was fitting material-action-intention 13a doctor buckled material-action-intention b doctor s equipment dented material-action-supervention c doctor gave... to bite material-action-intention 14 persona shut material-action-intention 15 was relational 16a something (electricity) bent down and took hold material-action-intention b something (electricity) shook material-action-intention 17a something (electricity) shrilled material-action-intention b electricity part drubbed material-action-intention c persona thought mental-cognition d persona body part would break material-action-supervention e persona body part fly out material-action-supervention 18a persona wondered mental-cognition b was relational c persona had done material-action-intention

73 TRANSITIVITY AT WORK: A FEMINIST-STYLISTIC APPLICATION The following analysis, which isolates who or what is affected by each process, takes us a little further: 1 nurse affects ø by intention process 2a nurse affects persona s possession by intention process b nurse affects persona s possession by intention process 3 nurse affects persona s possession by intention process 4 doctor affects equipment by intention process 5a doctor affects equipment by intention process b doctor affects equipment by intention process 6 nurse affects persona s body part by intention process 7a nurse affects persona s body part by intention process b nurse s body part affects persona s body part by intention process 8 nurse s body contingency affects ø by event process 9a n.a. b nurse affects persona by intention process 10 n.a.

74 TRANSITIVITY AT WORK: A FEMINIST-STYLISTIC APPLICATION Cont. 11a persona affects ø by intention process b persona s body part affects ø by event process 12 doctor affects equipment by intention process 13a doctor affects equipment by intention process b doctor affects persona and equipment by intention process 14 persona affects persona s body part by intention process 15 ø affects the environment by relational process 16a something affects persona by intention process b something affects persona by intention process

75 TRANSITIVITY AT WORK: A FEMINIST-STYLISTIC APPLICATION Cont. 17a b c d e 18a b c something affects ø by intention process something affects persona by intention process persona affects persona s body part by cognition process persona s body part affects ø by supervention process persona s body part affects ø by supervention process persona affects ø by cognition process ø affects ø by relation process persona affects ø by intention process (hypothetical)

76 TRANSITIVITY AT WORK: A FEMINIST-STYLISTIC APPLICATION it is the Nurse who affects both the persona s possessions and body parts (2a, 2b, 3, 6, 7, 8) and, in one instance, the whole of her (9b). The Doctor, on the other hand, uses his intention processes to affect equipment (4, 5a, 5b, 12, 13a, 13c) and, in one localised area, via the persona s body part (13a) and the equipment (13b), the persona herself (13c). At this point he disappears from her world view. The electricity, not surprisingly, continually affects the whole persona (16a, b, 17a, b). And the patient herself? At 11a she affects nothing despite her intentions. At 11b her body part affects nothing. At 14 she successfully affects her own body but remember that this is her escapism clause. At 17c she again successfully carries out a cognition process on her own body but remember that the resultant effect is only hypothetical. At 17d and e, 18a and c, the remaining clauses which have the persona as Actor, the persona and her body parts still affect nothing at all.

77 TRANSITIVITY AT WORK: A FEMINIST-STYLISTIC APPLICATION On reading the passage, readers repeatedly formulate the following sorts of responses: (1) the persona seems quite helpless; (2) the persona seems at a distance, outside herself, watching herself, detached to being with and then just a victim ; (3) the medical staff seem more interested in getting the job done than caring.

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