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Open in new tab Stylistics is the study of language in the service of literary ends, and in Style in Fiction
Geoffrey Leech and Mick Short demonstrate how stylistic analysis can be applied to
novels and stories. Writing for both students of English language and English
literature, they show the practical ways in which linguistic analysis and literary
appreciation can be combined, and illuminated, through the study of literary style.
Drawing mainly on major works of fiction of the last 150 years, their practical and
insightful examination of style through texts and extracts leads to a deeper
understanding of how prose writers achieve their effects through language.
Since its first publication in 1981, Style in Fiction has established itself as a key
textbook in its field, selling nearly 30,000 copies. Now, in this second edition, the
authors have added substantial new material, including two completely new
concluding chapters. These provide an extensive, up-to-date survey of developments
in the field over the past 25 years, and apply the methods presented in earlier
chapters to an analysis of an entire short story. The further reading section and
the bibliographical references have also been thoroughly updated.
Awarded the 2005 PALA Prize as the most influential book in stylistics published
since 1980, Style in Fiction remains a classic guide to its discipline.
Professor Geoffrey Leech is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and English Language
at Lancaster University. He has written, co-authored or co-edited over 25 books,
including A Glossary of English Grammar (2006) and Longman Grammar of Spoken
and Written English (1999). Professor Mick Short is Professor of English Language
and Literature at Lancaster University. He is the author of, among others, Corpus
Stylistics: Speech, Writing and Thought Presentation in a Corpus of English Writing
(2004) and Exploring the Language of Poems, Plays and Prose (1996).
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ISBN 978-0-582-78409-3
second
edition
9 780582 784093
www.pearson-books.com
StyleA Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose
in Fiction
second edition
Geoffrey Leech and Mick Short
9780582784093_COVER.indd 1
1/2/07 14:30:13
Style in Fiction
i
Renaissance Poetry
English Language Series
General Editor:
Randolph Quirk
Complex Words in English, Valerie Adams
An Introduction to Modern English Word-Formation, Valerie Adams
The Rhythms of English Poetry, Derek Attridge
Investigating English Style, David Crystal
The English Infinitive, Patrick Duffley
Good English and the Grammarian, Sidney Greenbaum
Cohesion in English, M.A.K. Halliday
Adverbs and Modality in English, Leo Hoye
A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry, Geoffrey Leech
Creating Texts: An Introduction to the Study of Composition,
Walter Nash
The Language of Humour, Walter Nash
ii
Style in Fiction
A Linguistic Introduction to
English Fictional Prose
Second edition
Geoffrey Leech
Emeritus Professor of Linguistics and English Language,
Lancaster University
Mick Short
Professor of English Language and Literature,
Lancaster University
iii
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First edition 1981
Second edition published in Great Britain in 2007
© Pearson Education Limited 2007
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ISBN: 978-0-582-78409-3
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
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