1027 ‫َى‬
‫ سال‬,2.‫ ذمارة‬، 12 .‫بةرطى‬
‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
A Pragmatic Analysis of Overstatement
And Understatement in English Literary Letters
(PP 448 - 456)
Asst. prof. Dr. Suhayla H. Majeed
College of Languages
Salahaddin University – Hawler
Dr. Kavee Shakir Muhammad
College of Basic Education
Salahaddin University - Hawler
Received: 07/01/2016
Accepted: 19/05/2016
Abstract
Overstatement and understatements are two devices used in written and spoken discourse. They mean
something more or less than the words they mean therefore they cannot be taken literally. They are widely used
in most of the literary genres.
An attempt is made to study the sample texts from the literary letters written by romantic and modernist
figures in English pragmatically. The texts are selected letters by Lord Byron, Percy Shelly, John Keats,
Katharine Mansfield, Dylan Thomas and Rupert Brooks. The pragmatic functions of overstatement and
understatement would be recognized through the illocutionary acts conveyed by them, namely assertives,
directives, commissives, experssives and declarations. The writers use stating, claiming, praising and blaming often
by using these two devices and they express their ideas feelings and emotions indirectly to be polite to their
lovers.
The Genre of English Letter Writing
etters are a form of communication which needs to focus on the person you are writing
to (Breen 2002: 5). They are regarded as common form of text and one of the
pervasive literate activities in human societies, in which it crosses informal and formal
contexts (Barton and Hall 2000:1). Letter writing was the only means of distant
communication between close friends, lovers, and members of a family. Unlike speaking, the
value of writing a letter is that it is not immediate, it gives the writer time to structure the
communication, select the right words, reflecting the type of relationship between the writer
and one to whom the letter is sent.
Letter is considered a general name for literature as well. Harmon (2003:282),
distinguished ‗Letters‘ from ‗epistles‘, the former presents personal and natural relationships
among friends while the letter is a written communication especially for formal or didactic
purpose. A letter is regarded as a mirror of its writer (Mawed 2000:5). Letters have personal
and social levels. On the personal level letters convey intentional action and ideas upon
others. On the social level, they hold up a mirror to the age in which they are written. They
convey passion, love as in the various letters written by famous English writers throughout
history (Mawed 2000:23).
In this research, letters are regarded as one ‗text type‘ in contrast to other text types such
as, sermon, novel, newspaper, article, etc. letters as a type of text., can have two types:
private/personal letters and business or official letters. The two types differ in style, purpose
and addressee (Chapppel 2006: 2). As for personal letters, they are regarded casual sent to a
friend (Swick 2004:17). Therefore, the style is informal and the content is personal: where as
the structure of ‗non private letter‘ is more formal. In addition to these, there are sub-types
such as: ‗love letters‘, ‗epistles‘, thank you letters‘, condolecence‘, ‗job application‘, etc.
L
Historical Background of English Letter writing:
Although letter writing was common during the classical period, it never became formal
subject of discussion until it came as a brief appendix in the fourth century AD rhetoric of C.
Julus Victor. During the middle ages, however, the written letter became central to rhetorical
448
Vol.21, No.1, 2017
1027 ‫َى‬
‫ سال‬,2.‫ ذمارة‬، 12 .‫بةرطى‬
‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
theory. As early as the fourteenth century, there was a growing interest in the classical letter
writing culture.
There were many letters published, hand books described the various gener of letters,
such as that between friends and the different levels of styles (Vangogh letters – org). During
the renaissance, the art of letter writing came to be recognized as a literary form in England
when critics came in touch with the works of Seneca, Guevara and Cicero, for instance the
letters of Cicero served as models for formal statement and ranged from political philosophy
to literary criticism and social satire (www.gandiserve.org). In the eighteenth century, the
informal letters changed to developing magazines and writing technical documents. Gossipy
letters have been produced on general and political issues. In fact, many eminent novelists
were great letter writers. For example, the letters of Jane Austin, Thomas Hardy, Virginia
Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Henry James and others are considered pieces of literature today
(Admin 2012: 1).
In the nineteenth century, a number of great correspondences were written by British
writers such as John Keats, Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, George Bernard Show and in the
late nineteenth century, the written letters at occasions were converted to from a novel. In the
same period, even identity proofs like passport, bank notes were written in the form of a letter
(Vangogh letters .org). letters have a focus and aesthetic appeal. Thus numerous modern poets
have written poem in the form of letter such as Pound‘s ―The River –merchant‘s wife‖: A
letter‘‘ and ―Exiles letter‖, W.H. Auden‘s long funny ―Letter to Lord Byron‖, and poem by
Richard Hugo, John Wain, and Tim Harrison (Harmon 2002: 282).
Overstatement in English
The terms overstatement and understatement are widely referred to in literary works as
associated with figurative language and rhetoric, overstatement occurs who one exaggerates
the nature of something or exceeds the requirement. It has been defined as exaggeration but in
the service of truth (Perrine 1974: 650). It involves a speaker‘s saying more than is necessary.
The speaker‘s description is stronger than warranted by the state of affairs described and the
speaker implicates beyond what is said (Leech 1983: 145) (Gibbs 1999: 169).
As far as hyperbole, is concerned, it can be traced back to ancient Greek (hy-pur-b∂lee)
(for overshooting). It may be used to evoke strong feeling, or impressing, but not meant to be
taken literally. It is recognized as a figure of speech as in:
1. I will die if I do not pass this course.
It may be used for serious ironic or comic effect (Cudden 1979:316) (Crystal 1992:
175).
Overstatement basically aims at emphasizing some aspects of literal meaning of an
utterance by means of using exaggeration, taking it to the extreme (Lang 2009:154), as in:
2. She is the devil
Compared to hyperbole, overstatement is characterized as unconscious or unintentional.
It is often mentioned that hyperbole cannot be studied in decontextualized situations, it needs
to be examined in pragmatics. Thus contextual information is not only linguistic, but also
extra – linguistic, allows to determine whether the utterance is interpreted hyperbolically or
not. Overstatement is realized in different linguistic forms such as nouns, adjectives, adverbs,
verbs or as lexical metaphors or similes. Norrick (1982) noted that hyperbole is a pragmatic
category realized in any word class or lexico- grammatical configuration.
Understatement in English
The term ‗understatement‘, comes in contrast with the general term ‗overstatement‘.
The principal idea of understatement is saying less and meaning more. It is recognized as a
figure of speech in which the speaker minimizes the amount of his / her speech and present
the fact as less significant than it is. It is defined as a common figure of speech where the
449
Vol.21, No.1, 2017
1027 ‫َى‬
‫ سال‬,2.‫ ذمارة‬، 12 .‫بةرطى‬
‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
literal meaning of what is said falls detectably short or under the magnitude of what is being
talked about such as saying, ‗pretty fair‘, meaning , splendid (Harmon 2003: 522).
It could be described as an ironic minimizing of facts and its effect can be humourous
and emphatic (Abrahams and Harphan 2009: 149). Gibbs (1999: 168-9) regards
understatement a way of generating implicature by saying less than is required. For example,
A& B are in London and A announces his intention to walk to Green which, B might reply as
follows:
3. B: it is quite a step from here. It will take you some time.
Here, there are two understatements: The journey is more than ‗a step‘ and even the shortest
journey takes ‗some time‘. B‘s meaning is that the journey is long and will take a
considerable time (Allott 2010: 191). Understatement comprises different types such as
litotes, meiosis; litotes is usually said with negative assertion such as ‗not un willing‘, ‗she
was unmindful‘.
Meiosis is considered a kind of litotes which consists of the reference disproportionately
to something with a name lesser than its nature (Burton 2007) as in:
4. The scratch my client gave to the plaintiff. (referring to a sizable wound)
Understatement is used for different reasons such as concealing anxiety, as a colloquial
sign, as tool of modesty and tactfulness, as a means of avoiding offence and as a means of
emphasis, etc.
Pragmatics of Overstatement and Understatement
Overstatement and understatement are considered as two pragmatic devices and ways of
violating CP especially a violation of the maxim of quality and quantity (Leech 1983: 145).
Leech further states that the politeness principle causes both polite overstatement and polite
understatement.
Brown and Levinson (1987), also describe politeness strategies that deal with FTS (face
threatening acts), within the strategy of ―off record‖, the strategies of overstatement and
understatement are discussed. If a communicative act is done off-record, then it is done in
such a way to perform one clear communicative intention.
In this research, we follow the speech act theory and particulary the types of speech acts
that can be over-understated, and the way these two figures are distributed over the
illocutionary forces. When uttering a sentence, it is not purposeless, there is usually a basic
intention behind it, it may be used to warn, promise, agree with, criticize, or request, threaten,
etc.
Searle (1969) distinguished five basic kinds of illocutionary acts, namely, Assertives,
which commit the speakers the truth of the expressed proposition like: stating, suggesting
concluding, reporting, while directives are attempts by the speaker to set the addressee to do
something like ordering, commanding, requesting, advising, and recommending. The third
type commissives commit the speaker to some future course of action like: ordering,
commanding, requesting, advicing, and recommending: promising, threatening and offering.
Expressive express a psychological state of the speaker towards a state of affairs like:
thanking, apologizing, welcoming, and congratulating. Finally, declarations effect immediate
changes in the institutional state of affairs and tend to rely on extra linguistic institutions like:
declaring war, christening, baptizing, and sentencing (Levinson 1983: 240).
The speakers (writers), when use over- or understated items, they intend not to mean
what they say directly but have other illocutionary forces (functions) or acts. Here, the
researchers aim at providing a pragmatic analysis of the selected data (letters) discovering the
kind of the illocutionary acts recognized according to searl‘s classification , assertivess,
directives , commissives, expressives and declarations, noted and used when overstatement
and understament recognized.
Prasmatic Analysis of Overstatement in English selected letters
450
Vol.21, No.1, 2017
1027 ‫َى‬
‫ سال‬,2.‫ ذمارة‬، 12 .‫بةرطى‬
‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
The illocutionary force used by the writers are assertive. This type has been expressed
through different pragmatic functions, most of the overstated sentences are of stating such as:
5. My dear Girl I love you ever and ever without reserve (Text 4).
Here the writer expresses the function directly to inform her about his feeling and
convincing her through the overstatement ‗ever and ever‘, claiming is another pragmatic
function of assertive such as :
6. Exhausting work because one sets so frightfuly excited as well (text 5).
There are also instances of complaining, reporting and suggesting.
7. You remember in Italy how I longed to return to life with all kinds of lovely passions
(Text 5).
8. Every word you utter, every line you write proves to be either sincere or fool. Now as I
know you are one I must believe you the other (Text 2).
Directives have pragmatic functions of ordering, requesting, commanding, and advising,
few instances were selected. Here overstated sentences are used for being polite and avoiding
FTCs such as:
9. If you have forgotten or lost your offection for me, please let me know. (Text 7).
10. Alas! We must not meet. (Text 3).
Commissives such as vowing, promising and offering are found in the texts, instances
of promising are performed in the interest of the other. In the following example, the writer
promises his beloved to love her until death. So the writer by using certain words and
overstated his love:
11. God knows I wish you happy and when I quit you or rather when you from a sense of
duty to your hasband and other quit me, you shall ucknowlede the truth of what I again
promise and vow, that no other in word or deed shall ever hold place in my affection
which is and shall be most sacred to you, till I am nothing. (Text 1).
Expressives are performed indirectly to avoid a face threatening act. These involves
speech acts of thanking, congratulating, blaming, praising, condoling – among these acts,
praising is frequent in use.
12. Noel, whom I love, who is so beautiful and wonderful (Text 8).
13. I never knew a woman, with greater or more pleasing talent, generals as in a woman they
should be something of everything and too much of nothing but these unfortunately
coupled with a total want of common conduct (Text 2)
Blaming and criticizing are found in the texts in examples:
14. I used to sleep in your arms do you remember? But you never write. (Text 7)
15. I love you, that is all I know, but all I know, too is that I am writing into space: the kind of
dreadful, un known space I am just going to enter. (Text 7).
The writer in these examples blames his beloved indirectly that she never writes which
is overstated and in (15), there is an off-record act because he is indirectly criticizing the
beloved. He states that whatever he writes makes no difference to her. This is shown be the
use of overstated adjectives ‗dreadful‘ ‗unknown‘ and the use of the noun ‗space‘.
As for declarations, there is no instance in the selected data since this function is mainly
authorized within some institutional framework.
Pragmatic analysis of understatement
In the selected data, the illocutionary force as speech acts come as assertives,
expressives and commissives; most of the assertives are of stating as in:
16. I am fast shutup like a little lake in the embrace of some big mountains if you were to
climb up the mountains. (Text 6).
17. I am staying in bed until lunch as I had a heavy day yesterday buying small presents to
bring back. (Text 5).
18. Cat: my cat: if only you would write to me: my love oh cat (Text 7).
451
Vol.21, No.1, 2017
1027 ‫َى‬
‫ سال‬,2.‫ ذمارة‬، 12 .‫بةرطى‬
‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
Reading these understated sentences, one recognizes different acts: in (16) the writer
talks about his situation indirectly as he compares himself to a small lake; since this act is a
face threatening act he uses an understated off-record in order to be polite. In (17), the writer
is reporting the events that she has got tired in buying small presents the day before. She
understates the value of the presents by using the adjective ‗small‘ for being polite. But in
(18), there is suggestion, when the writer asks the addressee to write him a letter by using, ‗if
only‘ and ‗would‘ and the suggestion is also understated.
The illocutionary function of commissives can be realized as acts of promise, vows, offers,
invitations, in the texts, there is an example of understated sentence of offering act.
19. I am immensely attached to it all and in the summer w‘d go up to the Alpes Marlimes and
live in the small spotless inns with milk hot from the cows and eggs wages from the hen.
There is an act of offering indirectly where the writer offers the addressee to agree
living in the village not taking it as an order.
The expressive function comes as acts of blaming and praising:
20. I feel their vacant stiff eye balls fixed upon me – until I seem to have been infected with a
loathsome wearing …. to inhale a sickness that subdues me to languor. (Text 3).
21. Then your heart- my poor caro, what a little volcano? That poors larva through your veins,
and yet I cannot wish it a bit colder to make marble slab of, as you sometimes see brought
in vases table and see from vesurins when hardened after an eruption (Text 2).
In (20), the writer is blaming his beloved in having stiff eyes and affect him, but in (21),
there is praising act, when he praises his love indirectly by comparing her heart with a little
volcano which is understated.
Conclusion
English writers use both overstatement and understatement in writing letters depending
on the illocutionary functions of overstatement, we found acts of assertion, expressives,
directives, and commissives. In their writing, the writers try to observe the politeness
principle to save their faces. The acts that have been mostly expressed are of stating; in
addition of other acts of claiming, reporting, complaining and suggesting. Other expressives
mostly have acts of praising where the writers use to maintain a positive face.
The illocationary functions of understatement are realized as assertive, expressive and
commissives. Most of the assertives are acts of stating and the acts of prasing, offering, and
blaming are expressed indivectly through understating the feeling or images and reporting of
events to be polite, (see examples 16 through 21).
Finally, both overstatements and understatements do not signify the actual state of
reality but present certain cases and situations where the writers tend to express their ideas,
feelings and emotions and the time and mood when they write.
References
Abrams, M. and Harpham, G. (2009). A Glossary of Literary Terms. (9th ed.) USA: words worth Cenage
Learning.
Allott, N. (2010). Key Terms in Pragmatics. London: Continum International Publishing Group.
Admin (2012). Historical Background on Letter Writing. Available at: www.gandiserve.org/cwmg/vol.007.pdf.
Barton, D. and Hall, N. (eds.) (2000). Letter writing as a social practice. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Barton, G. (2007). Silva Rhetoricae: The Forest of Rhetoric. http://rhetoricbyu..edu/retrieved in Jun, 3, 2015.
Breen, P. (2002). The Book of Letters: How to write a letter for Every Occasion (3rd ed.). Austrailia: Mc
Pherson‘s Printing Company.
Brown, P. and Levinson, S. (1987). Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Chappell, Ch. (2006). How to write Better Letters. London: Penguin Group.
Crystal, D. (1992). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Language and Linguistics. London: Blackwell.
Cudden, J. (1972). A Dictionary of Literary Terms. England: Penguin Books.
Gibbs, R.W. (1991). Intentions in the Experience of Meaning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
452
Vol.21, No.1, 2017
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‫ سال‬,2.‫ ذمارة‬، 12 .‫بةرطى‬
‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
Harmon, W. (2003). A Handbook to Literature. (9th ed.) New Jersy: prentice Hall.
Lang, P. (2009). Understanding Tropes: At the crossroads between pragmatics and cognition. Germany, N.P.
Leech, G. (1983). Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman.
Levinson, S. (1983). Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University press.
Mawed, M.A. (2000). How to write Effective and clear letters. Lebanon: Dar Al-Bihar.
Norrick, N.R. (1982). ―On the Semantics of Overstatement‖. In Detering K. et al (eds.) Akten des 16
Linguistischen Kollaquiums kiet , 1981, B. and II : Sprache erkennan and uersteen. Tubingen:
Niemeyer, 168- 79.
Perrine, L. (1974). Poetry: The Elements of Poetry (2nd ed.), New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, INC.
Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts. Cambridge: Cambridge University press.
Swick, (ed.) (2004). Writing Better English: An ESL Work Book. USA: Mc Graw Hill.
http://vangogh -Letters. org/. Retrieved Feb. 6/ 2015.
http://dictionary reference.com / brouse/ letter/ . Retrieved in August 5, 2015.
www.gandiserve.org / cwmg/ Vol.077 pdf/. Retrieved in Jan. 1, 2015.
‌ ‫پوخته‬
‌
‌‫شیادسه‬
‌ ‌‌‫گهیێنین‌كه‬
‌ ‫وادایی‌شذێك‌ده‬
‌
‌‌‫‌ئهو‌دوو‌ئامساشه‬.‌‫كازدێن‬
‌
‌
‫گىدازی‌نىوطین‌و‌ئاخاودندا‌ةه‬
‌‌‫وه‌ةاطكسدن‌دوو‌ئامساشن‌مه‬
‌ ‫مه‬
‌ ‌‫ةاطكسدن‌و‌ةهكه‬
‌
‌‌‫شیادهوه‬
‌ ‫ةه‬
‌
‌‫یهكی‬
‌ ‫شێىه‬
‌ ‌ ‫زدووكیشیان‌ةه‬
‌
‌
‫زةگیسێن‌و‌هه‬
‌‫ی‌وهك‌خۆی‌وه‬
‌ ‫وشه‬
‌ ‌ ‌‫ی‌وشه ‌ةه‬
‌
‌‫ةهشێىه‬
‌ ‌ ‫نادىانسێر‌ئهو‌دوو‌ئامسا ‌ش‌ه‬
‌
‌ ‌‫‌ههز‌ةۆیه‬.‫كان‬
‌
‌
‫مانای‌خىدی‌وشه‬
‌ ‌ ‫مرته‬
‫مه‬
‌ ‫یان‌كه‬
‌
‌ .‫دهةیه‌كان‌ةه‌كازدێن‬
‌ ‫ژانسا‌ئه‬
‌
‌‫زفساوان‌مه‬
‌
‌
‫ةه‬
‌‫دیازهكانی‌زۆمانذیك‌و‬
‌ ‌ ‫طه‬
‌ ‫ن‌كه‬
‌ ‌‫ةكسێن‌كه‌مه‌الیه‬
‌
‌‌‫دهةیانه‬
‌ ‌‫قهكانی‌ئه‌و‌نامه‌‌ئه‬
‌ ‫ده‬
‌ ‫مه‬
‌ ‌‌‫مێكۆڵینهوه‬
‌
‌‫كی‌پساگامدیكیانه‬
‌
‌‫شێىهیه‬
‌ ‌‌‫وڵدزاوه‌ةه‬
‌
‌ ‌‫وهیه‬
‫دا‌هه‬
‌ ‫و‌دىێژینه‬
‌
‌
‫مه‬
‌‫ن‌و‌پێسطی‌شێڵی‌و‌حۆن‌زیدض‌و‌كاپسین‌مانظفێڵدو‌دینهن‌دۆماض‌و‌زۆةێسخ‬
‌
‌
‫كانی‌مۆزد‌ةایسه‬
‌
‫ڵتژێسدزاوه‬
‌ ‌‌‫‌دهقه‌كان‌نامه‬.‫نىرساون‬
‫هه‬
‌
‌‌‫كانی‌ئینگنیصییهوه‬
‌
‌
‫نىێخىاشه‬
‌‫هۆی‌دهزةڕینی‬
‌
‌‫وه‌ةه‬
‌ ‌‫كهزه‬
‌ ‫ن‌قظه‬
‌
‌‫حێ‌كسدن‌مهالیه‬
‌
‌
‫ةۆ‌حێته‬
‌‫ی‌كه‬
‌ ‌‫ی‌ئهو‌كسدازانه‬
‌ ‫زێگه‬
‌ ‫سدن‌مه‬
‌
‫وه‌ةاطك‬
‌ ‌‫كهمه‬
‌ ‫ةاطكسدن‌و‌ةه‬
‌
‌‌‫شیادهوه‬
‌ ‫ی‌ةه‬
‌ ‌‫‌شیكازی‌پساگامدیكیانه‬.‫ةڕوكهن‬
‌
‌.‫یاندنیهكانن‬
‌
‌
‫كان‌و‌زاگه‬
‌
‫زةڕیندازه‬
‌‫‌ده‬،‫ندةىونهكان‬
‌
‌
‫‌پاةه‬،‫كان‬
‌ ‫‌فه‬،‫كان‬
‫زمانه‬
‌
‌ ‌‫‌حهخذكسدنه‬:‫ك‬
‫وه‬
‌
‌‫‌ئه‌وانیش‌وه‬،‫وه‬
‌ ‫نارسێنه‬
‌
‌
‫ةڕدێسن‌ده‬
‌ ‫ده‬
‫زده‬
‌ ‌ ‌‫یكی‌دیازیكساوهوه‬
‌
‌
‫ندوشه‬
‌
‫چه‬
‌‫یهكی‌نازاطذخۆ‬
‌ ‫شێىه‬
‌ ‫وێر‌ةه‬
‌
‌ ‫كازدێنن‌و‌ده‬
‫یانه‬
‌
‌
‫كسدن‌ةه‬
‌ ‫ڵدان‌و‌مۆمه‬
‌
‌
‫زةسین‌و‌داواكسدن‌و‌پیاهه‬
‌ ‌ ‫وه‬
‫ده‬
‌ ‫و‌دوو‌ئامساشه‬
‌
‌
‫كازهێنانی‌ئه‬
‌ ‫زێگه‬
‫ی‌ةه‬
‌ ‫شۆزی‌مه‬
‌
‌
‫زكان‌ةه‬
‌‫نى ‌وطه‬
‌ . ‫شاكهخ‌ةن‬
‌ ‌‫كانیان‌ةه‌نه‬
‌
‌
‫ویظذه‬
‌
‫أل‌خۆشه‬
‌ ‫ی‌مه‬
‫گه‬
‌ ‫وه‬
‌ ‫زةربن‌ةۆ‌ئه‬
‌
‌‫ةیسو‌ةۆچىونهكانیان‌و‌هه‌طر‌وطۆشیان‌ده‬
‌
‌ ‫ملخص‬
‌‫يظذخدو ‌املتامغح ‌واإليخاش ‌كىطينذني ‌يف ‌امخطاب ‌امكذايب ‌وامكالمي ‌ويعنىن ‌اكرثو ‌اقه ‌من ‌معاين ‌امكنامخ ‌املظذخدمح ‌مرمك ‌الميكن ‌األخر‬
‌ .‫‌ويظذخدو‌ةصىزج‌عامنح‌يف‌معظم‌امناط‌االدةيح‬،‫ةاملعاين‌امحسفيح‌مهم‬
‌‫‌امنصىص‌املخذازج‌يف‌زطائه‬.‌‫امتحث‌هي‌محاومح‌مدزاطح‌دداوميح‌منامذج‌انكنيصيح‌مسطائه‌أدةيح‌ك كذاب‌زومانظيني‌ومحدثني‌يف‌األدب‌اإلنكنيصي‬
‌‫‌يدزك‌امذحنيه‌امرباكامدييك‌منمتامغح‌واإليخاش‌ضمن‌افعال‌امكالو‌مثه‬.‫‌و‌زوةسخ‌ةسوك‬،‫‌دينن‌دىماض‬،‫‌كاثسين‌مانظفيند‬،‫‌حىن‌كينع‬،‫‌ةريض‌شييل‬،‫منىزد‌ةايسن‬
‌‫( ‌وكثريا ً ‌ما ‌يظذخدمىن ‌امذرصيح ‌واالدعاء‬expressives)‌ ‫ ‌وامذعترييح‬،(commissives)‌ ‫( ‌واالمذصاميح‬directives)‌ ‫( ‌و ‌امذىحيهيح‬Assertives)‌ ‫امخمه ‌امخصميح‬
‌ .‫واملديح‌وامعذاب‌خالل‌اطذخدامهم‌منمتامغح‌واإليخاش‌ويعربون‌عن‌افكازهم‌وأحاطيظهم‌وعىاطفهم‌ةصىزج‌غري‌متارشج‌ةذأدب‌ودهريث‌ألحتائهم‬
‌
Text 1
A Letter from lord Byron to Lady Caroline
August 1812
My dearest Caroline,
If tears, which you saw & know I am not apt to shed, if the agitation in which I parted from you, agitation which
you must have perceived through the whole of this most nervous nervous affair, did not commence till the
moment of leaving you approached, if all that I have said & done, & am still but too ready to say & do, have not
sufficiently proved what my real feelings are & must be ever towards you, my love, I have no other proof to
offer.
God knows I wish you happy, & when I quit you, or rather when you from a sense of duty to your husband &
mother quit me, you shall acknowledge the truth of what I again promise & vow, that no other in word or deed
shall ever hold the place in my affection which is & shall be most sacred to you, till I am nothing.
I never knew till that moment, the madness of -- my dearest & most beloved friend -- I cannot express myself -this is no time for words -- but I shall have a pride, a melancholy pleasure, in suffering what you yourself can
hardly conceive -- for you don not know me. -- I am now about to go out with a heavy heart, because -- my
appearing this Evening will stop any absurd story which the events of today might give rise to -- do you think
now that I am cold & stern, & artful -- will even others think so, will your mother even -- that mother to whom
we must indeed sacrifice much, more much more on my part, than she shall ever know or can imagine.
"Promises not to love you" ah Caroline it is past promising -- but shall attribute all concessions to the proper
motive -- & never cease to feel all that you have already witnessed -- & more than can ever be known but to my
own heart -- perhaps to yours -- May God protect forgive & bless you -- ever & even more than ever.
yr. most attached
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‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
BYRON
P.S. -- These taunts which have driven you to this -- my dearest Caroline -- were it not for your mother & the
kindness of all your connections, is there anything on earth or heaven would have made me so happy as to have
made you mine long ago? & not less now than then, but more than ever at this time -- you know I would with
pleasure give up all here & all beyond the grave for you -- & in refraining from this -- must my motives be
misunderstood --? I care not who knows this -- what use is made of it -- it is you & to you only that they owe
yourself, I was and am yours, freely & most entirely, to obey, to honour, love --& fly with you when, where, &
how you yourself might & may determine.
Text 2
A Letter from Lord Byron to Lady Caroline
Sy even, April 1812
I never supposed you artful, we are all selfish, nature did that for us, but even when you attempt deceit
occasionally, you cannot maintain it, which is all the better, want of success will curb the tendency.
Every word you utter, every line you write proves you to be either sincere or a fool, now as I know you are one I
must believe you the other. I never knew a woman with greater or more pleasing talents, general as in a woman
they should be, something of everything, and too much of nothing, but these are unfortunately coupled with a
total want of common conduct.
For instance the note to your page, do you suppose I delivered it? Or did you mean that I should? I did not of
course.
Then your heart – my poor Caro, what a little volcano! That pours lava through your veins, and yet I cannot wish
it a bit colder, to make a marble slab of, as you sometimes see (to understand my foolish metaphor) bought in
vases table and see from Vesuvius when hardened after an eruption.
To drop my detestable tropes and figures you know I have always thought you the cleverest most agreeable,
absutd, amiable perplexing, dangerous fascinating little being that lives now or ought to have lived 2000 years
ago.
I wont talk to you of beauty, I am no judge, but our beauties cease to be so when near you, and therefore you
have either some or something better. And now, Caro, this nonsense is the first and last compliment (if it be
such) I even paid you, you have often reproached me as wanting in that respect, but others will make up the
deficiency… all that you so often say, I feel , can more be said or felt?
This same prudence is tiresome enough but one must maintain it , or what can we do to be saved? Keep to it.
Text 3
A letter from Percy Bysshe Shelley to Mary Godwin
(It is believed that this romantic love letter was written shortly after they had eloped together).
Oh my dearest love why are our pleasures so short and so uninterrupted? How long is this to last? Know you my
best Mary that I feel myself in your absence almost degraded to the level of the vulgar and impure.
I feel their vacant stiff eyeballs fixed upon me- until I seem to have been infected with a loathsome meaning… to
inhale a sickness that subdues me to languor. Oh! those redeeming eyes of Mary that they might beam upon me
before I sleep!
Praise my forbearance oh beloved one that I do not rashly fly to you… and at least secure a moment‘s bliss –
wherefore should I delay… do you not long to meet me? All that is exalted and buoyant in my nature urges me
towards you… reproaches me with cold delay … laughs at all fear and spurns to dream of prudence! Why am I
not with you?- Alas we must not meet.
Text 4
A Letter written by John Keats to his beloved, Fanny Brawne.
Sweetest Fanny,
You fear, sometimes, I do not love you so much as you wish? My dear Girl I love you ever and ever and without
reserve. The more I have known you the more have I love‘d. In every way- even my jealousies have been
agonies of Love, in the hottest fit I ever had I would have died for you.
I have vex‘d you too much. But for love! Can I help it? You are always new. The last of your kisses was ever the
sweetest; the last smile the brightest; the last movement the gracefullest. When you pass‘d my window home
yesterday, I was fill‘d with as much admiration as if I had then seen you for the first time. You uttered a half
complaint once that I only lov‘d your Beauty. Have I nothing else then to love in you but that.
Do not I see a heart naturally furnish‘d with wings imprison itself with me? No ill prospect has been able to turn
your thoughts a moment from me. This perhaps should be as much a subject of sorrow as joy- but I will not talk
of that. Even if you did not love me I could not help an entire devotion to you: how much more deeply then
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‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
must I feel for you knowing you love me. My Mind has been the most discontented and restless one that ever
was put into a body too small for it.
I never felt my Mind repose upon anything with complete and undistracted enjoyment upon no person but you.
When you are in the room my thoughts never fly out of window: you always concentrate my whole senses. The
anxiety shown about our Love in your last note is an immense pleasure to me: however you must not suffer such
speculations to molest you and more: not will I any more believe you can have the least pique against me.
Brown is gone out - but here is Mrs. Wylie – when she is gone I shall be awake for you …Remembrances to our
Mother.
Your affectionate,
J. keats
Text 5
THE LETTERS OF KATHERINE MANSFIELD:
VOLUME 11
APRIL 20, 1920
To j. M. Murry
April 20, 1920
I am staying in bed until lunch as I had a heavy day yesterday buying small presents to bring back and so on.
Exhausting work because one gets so frightfully excited as well. C. went with me in the morning and bought me
a pastel blue muslin frock with frills like panniers at the side. Ida, who was by, said she thought C. had a very
influence on me because she spoiled me so. And the poor old dear got pink just like Granma used to and said,
―well, the child has had no fun, no life, no chance to wear pretty things for two years. I‘m sure J. would want to
do what I‘m doing …‖ You remember in Italy how I longed to return to Life with all kinds of lovely possessions.
Funny it should have all come true. I also bought the most exquisite fruit plates with small white grapes and gold
leaves on them pour la famille Murry, and a dish, high, to match, to take the breath. I‘ve no money. I think I
must be a little bit mad. Oh, could I bring the flowers, the air the whole heavenly climate as will: this darling
little town, these mountains. It is simply a small jewel-- Mentone … and its band in the jardins publique with the
ruffled pansy beds – the white donkeys standing meek, tied to a pole, the donkey women in black pleated dresses
with flat funny hates. All, all is so terribly attractive. I‘d live years here with you. I‘m immensely attached to it
all and in the summer we‘d go to the Alpes Maritimes and live in the small spotless inns with milk hot from the
cow and eggwegs from the hen—we‘d live in those steep villages of pink and white houses with the pine forests
round them—where your host serves your dinner wearing a clean white blouse and sabots. Yes, I‘m in love with
the Alpes Maritimes. I don‘t want to go any further. I‘d like to live my life between Broomies and them.
Text 6
A Letter written by Katherine Mansfield to John Murray
My love for you tonight is so deep and tender that it seems to be outside myself as well. I am fast shut up like a
little lake in the embrace of some big mountains. If you were to climb up the mountains, you would see me down
below, deep and shining- and quite fathomless, my dear. You might drop your heat into me and you‘d never hear
it touch the bottom.
I love you- I love you – Good night. Oh Bogey, what is to love like this!
Katherine Mansfield, writer, to John middleton Murray
Text 7
A Letter by Dylan Thomas to his Wife Caitlin
March 16, 1950
Cat: my cat: if only you would write to me: my love, oh Cat
This is not, as it seems from the address above, a dive, a joint, saloon, et. But the honourable & dignified
headquarters of the dons of the University of Chicago.
I love you. That is all I know. But all I know, too, is that I am writing into space: the kind of dreadful, unknown
space I am just going to enter. I am going to lowa, Illinois, Idaho, Indindiana, but these, though mis-spelt, *are*
on the map. You are not.
Have you forgotten me? I am the man you used to say you loved. I used to sleep in your arms- do you
remember? But you never write. You are perhaps mindless of me. I am not of you. I love you.
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‫طؤظارى زانكؤ بؤ زانستة مرؤظايةتييةكان‬
There isn‘t a moment of any hideous day when I do not say to myself. It will be alright I shall go home. Caitlin
loves me. I love Caitlin. But perhaps you have forgotten. If you have forgotten, or lost your affection for me,
please , my Cat, let me know. I Love you.
Dylan
Text 8
A Letter by Rupert Brooke to Noel Olivier
I have a thousand images of you in an hour; all different and all coming back to the same… and we love. And
we‘ve got the most amazing secrets and understandings. Noel, whom I love who is so beautiful and wonderful. I
think of you eating omlette on the ground. I think of you once against a sky line: and on the hill that Sunday
morning.
And that night was wonderfullest of all. The light and the shadow and quietness and the rain and the wood. And
you. You are so beautiful and wonderful that I daren‘t write to you… and kinder than God. Your arms and lips
and hair and shoulders and voic – you.
Rupert Brooks
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