УДК 82-97
Валентина Мелконян
(Херсон)
THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE STYLES OF TWO AUTHORS
У роботі аналізуються стилістичні засоби у творах маловідомих англійських
поетів, порівнюються їх характерні особливості.
Ключові слова: стилістичні засоби: інверсія, анафора, єпифора, риторичне
питання.
The article deals with expressive means which help to understand the main idea of
V.Midgardorm and J.Donne.
Key words: stylistic devices: repetition, anaphora, inversion, rhetoric question.
It is known that expressive means and stylistic devices have become one of the most
topical items in today’s science. Many scientists (Arnold I., Galperin I., Hill A., Herbert F.,
Claine J. and others) devote their work to this very issue thus to find out the role and specific
features of expressive means and stylistic devices and different problems connected with the
author’s choice of these or those expressive means or stylistic devices and, of course, the
peculiarities of the style of any author.
The problem of syntactical stylistic devices appear to be closely ‘linked not with what
makes an utterance more emphatic but also with the more general problem of predicatio. As it is
known, the English affirmative sentences are regarded as neutral if they maintain a regular word
order, i.e. subject – predicate – object and other secondary members of the sentence. Any other
order of the parts of the sentence may also carry the necessary information, but the impact on the
reader will be different. Even a slight change in the word order of a sentence or in the order of
the sentences in a more complicated syntactical unit will inevitably cause a definite modification
of the meaning of the whole. An almost imperceptible rhythmical design introduced into a
sentence, or a sudden break in the sequence of the parts of the sentence, or any other change will
add something to the volume of information contained in the original sentence. Unlike the
syntactical expressive means of the language, which are naturally used in discourse or a
straightforward natural manner, syntactical stylistic devices are perceived as elaborate designs
aimed at a definite impact on the reader. It will be born in mind that any stylistic device is meant
to be understood as a device and is calculated to produce a desired stylistic effect.
When viewing the stylistic functions of different stylistic devices one must first take onto
consideration two aspects:
1) the juxtaposition of different components of the utterance;
2) the way the parts are connected with each other.
Into addition to these two large groups of expressive means and stylistic devices two
other groups may be distinguished:
3) those based on the peculiar use of the colloquial constructions;
4) those based on the stylistic use of structural meaning.
It was greatly important for us to choose this very issue for our deep research because J.
Donne with his’ Songs and Sonets ‘ is practically unknown and has never been researched by the
Ukrainian scientists. His poems are not translated into Ukrainian either. The work of Victoria
Midgardorm is unknown for the everyday reader and has been neither researched nor translated
by the Ukrainian scientists and philologists. It should be mentioned that while analyzing the
language of J. Donne in his ‘ Songs and Sonets ‘and Victoria Midgardorm in her ‘ In The World
Of Two Suns ‘we came across a great variety of different expressive means and stylistic devices.
The results are as follows: both authors frequently use inversion, anaphora, repetition, rhetoric
question. Epiphora and the emphatic construction with the verb to do are rarely used in these
both works. Some expressive means and stylistic devices are used by one author while the other
does not prefer using them in his ‘procreation’. There are also those (expressive means and
stylistic devices) which are rarely used by both of these two poets or are not used at all.
As we have already mentioned inversion is often used in both works. Stylistic inversion
aim at attaching logical stress or additional emotional coloring to the surface of the utterance.
Therefore, a specific informational pattern is the inevitable satellite of inversion. prose and
poetry. It matters a lot when you want to underline something very important for the speaker.
Colorful emotions and vivid impressions may be considered to be the most specific
characteristics and peculiarities of J. Donnes ‘ Songs and Sonets ‘ and, of course, of Victoria’s
Midgardorm’s ‘ In The World Of Two Suns ‘ as well. Let’s follow the examples:
J. Donne
Victoria Midgardorm
‘Songs and Sonets’:
Enjoy your summer all…
A Nucturnall Upon
‘In The World Of Two Suns’
Bespattered eyes in loving melt…
He Roused Her… (2: 90)St. Lucie’s Day
(1:91)
For I had rather owner bee…
And Fate forgets your praying to
omit
A Feaver (1:65)
The Pure Freshness… (2: 66)
Let’s mention repetition now. This expressive means shows the state of mind of the
speaker. It does not aim at making a direct emotional impact. The authors used it they somehow
tried to hide their emotions and make thier reader feel the secret himself (but of course, much
depends on the reader’s character and his way of perception):
J. Donne
‘Songs and Sonets’:
Victoria Mirgardom
‘In The World Of Two suns’
For ill is ill and good good still
The less I want the less just can be
found
Communitie (1: 78)
His only, and only his purse
The Cure (1: 88)
The More I Live (2: 87)
Fool your Fate, fool your God overall
Rhythmless (2: 32)
Anaphora is much used by two authors. Both poets used it to make the utterance more
emphatic (bitterly emphatic sometimes) while emotions were not hidden:
J. Donne
‘Songs and Sonets’:
Victoria Mirgardom
‘In The World Of Two suns’
I can love her, and her, and you
I can love any…
The Indifferent (1: 55)
Let’s deny the life
Let’s elevate the things…
Let’s Deny (2: 107)
Which no unworthy thought could staine,
Which if it be taught by thine
The Message (1: 89)
Pooped of vanished desire
Pooped of freaked out veins
The Queue (2: 93)
We have already taken into account that such expressive means as stylistic devices as
epiphora, the emphatic construction with the verb to do and etc. are seldom used in the works of
these both authors. Now we may see that the similar features in author’s choice of expressive
means and stylistic devices. It is pretty important to find out the individual ones. Let’s start from
J. Donne and his ‘ Songs and Sonets ‘. He used detachment, parenthetic, ansyndeton and
polysyndeton while Victoria Midgardorm does not use any of them at a time. It is known that the
detached part is being torn away from its referent, assumes a greater degree of significance and is
given prominence by intonation. The structural patterns of detachment have not yet been
classified, but the most noticeable cases are those in which an attribute or an adverbial modifier
is placed not in immediate proximity to its referent, but in some other positions. Detached
constructions in their common forms make between the component parts is effectively
materialized by means of information. J. Donne used this very constructions to produce a much
stronger effect (inasmuch as it presents parts of the utterance significant from the author’s point
of view in a more or less independent manner:
J. Donne ‘Songs and Sonets’:
Both wayes, as thou and thine, in eies andminde
Loves Exchange (1: 81)
Ansyndeton comes next. So, this author uses ansyndeton to create a certain rhythm of his
verses.
Here is one bright example:
J. Donne ‘Songs and Sonets’:
Light hath no tongue, but is all eye;
If it could speake as well as spie…
Breake Of Day (1: 68)
Speaking about polysyndeton it should be mentioned that J. Donne used it thus to create
certain rhythmical organization singling out the most important (in generally combined
homogeneous elements of thoughts into one whole resembling enumeration). Let’s follow this
very example:
J. Donne ‘Songs and Sonets’
If thine owne honuor,
Or my shame, or paine
Loves Usury (1: 57)
Let’s return to Victoria Midgardorm and analyze the expressive means and stylistic
devices which wefailed to find in J. Donnes ‘Songs and Sonets’. So, as one can mention, shs uses
aposiopesis for some purposes:
 to convey an idea of a very strong strain of emotions;
 to convey an idea of informal conversation;
 to attract the reader’s attention to what is left unsaid;
 to convey an idea of break caused by euphemistic considerations. So, let’s see the
examples:
V. Midgardorm ‘In The World Of Two Suns’
The next cried of hurt, showed the mutilate hands…
The Llur (2: 48)
Blood and Eyes…
The Apocalypse (2: 110)
Surrender… Tribes…
The Pell-mell (2: 102)
Having analyzed the individual and similar features in authors’ choices of syntactical
expressive means and stylistic devices we came to such a conclusion: verses that belong to
Victoria Midgardorm’s pen are full of unexpressed feelings and emotions, something unsaid
stays here, and only hints are given. John Donne’s poetry is too emotional, and he preferred
saying everything without taking into consideration his reader’s imagination. He had done
everything on the highest level. The numbers are as follows: J. Donne’s ‘Songs and Sonets’: a)
expressive means: (42ex.), polysyndeton (7ex.), repetition (99ex.), enumeration (34ex.), the
emphatic construction with the verb to do (22ex.), parenthetic (23ex.), inversion (49ex.),
detachment (11ex.): stylistic devices: anaphora (40ex.), epiphora (9ex.), rhetoric question
(27ex.); Victoria Midgardorm’s ‘In The World Of Two Suns’: expressive means: aposiopesis
(41ex.), repetition (28ex.), enuneration (6ex.), the emphatic: construction with the verb to
do(4ex.), inversion (41ex.): stylistic devices: anaphora (34ex.), epiphora (3ex.), rhetoric question
(8ex.). Having made the comparative analysis of two styles of the given authors (J. Donne and
Victoria Midgardorm) we may stress that J. Donne frequently used parenthetic, detachment,
asyndeton and polysyndeton while Victoria Midgardorm does not use any of them even at a
time. But he ‘failed’ to use aposiopesis while Victoria Midgardorm uses it for forty-one times.
So, the authors are quite different but their works and talent showed a wide variety of usage of
different syntactical stylistic devices and expressive means that make their verses soaring, rich
and majestic.
LITERATURE
1. Donne J. The Complete English Poems. Edited and produced by C.A. Patrides: – London: – 342
p.
2. Midgardorm V. In the World of Two Suns.: Kherson. 2001. – 180 p. (private edition)
The English Word.: M.: High school: – 1986. – 342 p.