The Stylistics of Poetry: Context, cognition, discourse, history

(Hardback)

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Written over the last thirty years, this collection of Professor Peter Verdonks most important work on the stylistics of poetry clearly shows that the stylistics of poetic discourse is a diverse and valuable interdiscipline. Discussing the poetry of Auden, Heaney and Larkin amongst many others, Verdonk covers everything from intrinsic textual meaning and external context in its widest sense to the readers cognitive and emotive response to poems. The book will appeal to all students on stylistics and literary linguistics courses, especially those focussing on poetry and poetic language.

Reviews

This collection of essays by Peter Verdonk is a joy to read on a number of levels. Verdonk presents his arguments clearly and in a logically coherent sequence ... and [writes] with ease and elegance -- Tony Bex, University of Kent, UK * Language and Literature *
Peter Verdonk has long been an ambassador for stylistics. For thirty years and more, he has championed a language-minded analytical appreciation of English poetry from his academic home at the University of Amsterdam, inspiring a large number of students in the process Previously Verdonk wrote one form of apologia for his version of Stylistics in his 2002 contribution to Henry Widdowsons OILS series Now he has published a second overview of Stylistics, but with much more of a personal account and a usefully diachronic perspective (the history of his sub-title). This is very welcome since a historicized stylistics is something which has gone underdeveloped in recent years. -- Michael Toolan, University of Birmingham * Journal of Literary Semantics, *
I think that stylisticians, along with discourse analysts and cognitive linguists with an interest in literature, will benefit from reading this book. Firstly, it provides the stylistician with a wealth of valuable insights into the discursive and cognitive aspects of poetic language, and Verdonk's own contributions to both discursive stylistics and cognitive stylistics are now available to the stylistician in one concise and easily accessible volume. Secondly, the discourse analyst will find that many of the principles from his or her discipline are also applicable to the analysis of poetry, and, perhaps more importantly, that application of these may result in new understandings of poetry as discourse. Thirdly, a cognitive linguist, such as myself, will not only find that the brief exposs of cognitive stylistics serve as very useful entry points into cognitive stylistics, but also that application of cognitive science in the analysis of poetic language casts light on both poetic language in its cognitive function and the wealth of creative potential that resides in human cognition. Moreover, linguists and literary critics who are simply interested in each other's work should read the volume simply because of the way it bridges the gap between linguistics and literary criticism in a way that respects, appreciates, and validates the work on both sides of the gap. -- Kim Ebensgaard Jensen, Aalborg University * Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication, 1 (2015) *
This collection of Peter Verdonks articles will be essential reading for anyone interested in poetry and how we interact with, and respond to, the language of poems. Bringing Peter Verdonks articles on poetry together into one volume in this way also provides an invaluable resource for students learning the art of the stylistic analysis of poetry. -- Mick Short, National Teaching Fellow and Professor of English Language and Literature, Lancaster University, UK
Every stylistics undergraduate student should read this book, as there is no better model than Verdonks to show them how to conduct a sophisticated, erudite and poignant stylistic analysis of poetry. In a clear and informative fashion Verdonk takes you by the hand and shows you the wonders of how literary meaning can be uncovered by means of impeccable linguistic analysis. -- Michael Burke, Professor of Rhetoric, UC Roosevelt Academy, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
The papers in this book trace and define the field of stylistics. They are elegant and exemplary, sharp with insight and possess a beauty of fine analysis. If anyone ever asks for an example of the highest achievements in literary stylistics, simply hand them this book. -- Peter Stockwell, Professor of Literary Lingusitics, University of Nottingham, UK
A perfect guide to a deeper engagement with poetry. An inspiring and beautifully written collection of readings underlining in every chapter how linguistic analysis can illuminate key patterns of meaning across texts and contexts. -- Ronald Carter, Professor of Modern English Language, University of Nottingham, UK

Author Bio

Peter Verdonk is Emeritus Professor of Stylistics, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His books include Twentieth-century Poetry (1993) and Stylistics (2002), Literature and the New Interdisciplinarity (1994, with Roger D. Sell), Twentieth-century Fiction (1995, with Jean Jacques Weber), and Exploring the Language of Drama (1998, with Jonathan Culpeper and Mick Short).