STYLISTICS
ANALYSIS OF AN EXTRACT
FROM A BOOK
“CHANCES” BY JACKIE
COLLINS
TOPIC:
LOVE
LOVE – 1. a strong feeling of deep affection for sb/sth:
a mother’s love for her
children m love of one’s country m He shows little love towards
her. m Give my love to your sister. Compare HATE. 2. Sexual affection or a passion: a love song/story m It was love at first sight (ie They were attracted to each
other the first time they met) m Their love has cooled. 3. great enjoyment of sth: a
love of learning/adventure/nature. 4.
(a) A person who is loved: Take care,
my love. m She was the love of my love. (b) a thing that one loves: She’s fond of all sports, but
tennis is her first/greatest love. 5. (infml esp Brit) (a form of address used by a man to a woman or child who is
not necessarily a friend, or by a woman to a person of either sex): Mind your head, love! 6. (in tennis) no score; NIL: She won the first set
six-love/six games to love. IDM be in love (with sb) to feel
affection and desire for sb: I’m deeply/madly in love with her. be
in love with sth to be very fond of sth: He is in love with the sound of
his own voice (he talks too much). fall in love (with sb/sth) to feel a
sudden strong attraction for sb/sth: fall in love with
(
… And then he saw her, lying by the
swimming pool. Leonora. His Leonora. And his heart began
to beat double time, and sweet broke out all over his body, and his throat went
quite dry.
He stood rooted to the spot, and stared.
Like a kid. Like the village idiot. And a sharp pain twisted in his gut as he
said, very very quietly, “Leonora”.
“Huh?” She moved her arm from across her
eyes and sat up.
It was not Leonora. It was a girl who
looked exactly like her. And then he realized that this must be her daughter,
Maria. Costa had mentioned something about the girl coming to stay.
… He watched her as she scribbled out a
massage, her long hair falling over her beautiful face. She was so clean and
innocent and lovely. Just like Leonora had been all those
years ago… Just like Leonora…
… He could hardly believe she was twenty, she seemed more like a sixteen-year-old – so fresh
and unspoiled.
This was not Leonora.
This was Maria…
… She looked like Leonora. But she was
Maria. He had no trouble realizing that…
1.
This
extract is about a man who loves two women during his life (a mother and her
daughter)
2.
In the
beginning of the extract, we can see that the main character mixes two women
up. He mixes up a mother and a daughter. A mother was loved by him long time
ago but she broke his heart and he had never loved anybody. Now he sees a girl
looking exactly like her many years ago. At first, he remembers all he felt
then but at the end he understands that it is not Leonora (mother), it is her
daughter and he already loves daughter not mother. He forgets about mother
forever.
3.
I
think that the main idea is the following: one can love two different people,
looking like two couples, with different love. He loves the daughter not
because she remains him her mother; he loves her with different love.
4.
Topic
sentences:
¨
It was a girl who looked exactly like her.
¨
Just like Leonora had been all those years ago… Just like
Leonora…
¨
This was not Leonora.
This was Maria…
5.
The
climax here (if it can be called so) is the moment when the man understands
that it is not Leonora, it is her daughter.
6.
Coherent:
¨
… And then he saw her.
¨
… And his heart began to beat double time, and
sweet broke out all over his body, and his throat went quite dry.
¨
He stood rooted to the spot, and stared.
¨
And a sharp pain twisted in his gut as he said, very very quietly, “Leonora”.
¨
She moved her arm from across her eyes and
sat up.
¨
And then he realized that this must be her daughter, Maria.
¨
… He watched her as she scribbled out a massage.
¨
She was so clean and innocent and lovely.
¨
… so fresh and
unspoiled.
¨
… She looked like Leonora. But she was Maria.
7.
Unified
text:
The text is centralized on love of a man to two women. It
is shown here that he loves them with different love. Many years ago he loved
the mother, now he loves the daughter.
8.
Stylistic
analysis:
¨
The
text is written in monologue. Colloquial style is used. There are some complete
and incomplete sentences. We can see here simily (Like a kid. Like the
village idiot), repetition (very very
quietly), metaphor
(sweet broke out all over his body, he stood rooted to the spot), personification
(a sharp pain twisted in his gut), polysyndeton (And
his heart began to beat double time, and sweet broke out all over his
body, and his throat went quite dry; She was so clean and
innocent and lovely; so fresh and unspoiled).
Maria’s (daughter) portrait abounds in words with positive
inherent connotations: clean and innocent and lovely, fresh and unspoiled.
The text can be read in “lyrical” timbre: tempo is slowed
down; loudness - diminished, voice may acquire a breathy quality.
