Literary Rhetoric. Concepts-Structures-Analyses

345 Pages·2010·2.09 MB·English

by  Heinrich F. Plett

Literary Rhetoric
International Studies in the
History of Rhetoric
Editors
Laurent Pernot, Executive Editor, Strasbourg, France
Craig Kallendorf, College Station, U.S.A.
Advisory Board
Bé Breij, Nijmegen, Netherlands
Rudong Chen, Peking, China
Manfred Kraus, Tübingen, Germany
Gabriella Moretti, Trento, Italy
Luisa Angelica Puig Llano, Mexico City, Mexico
Christine Sutherland, Calgary, Canada
VOLUME 2
Literary Rhetoric
Concepts—Structures—Analyses
By
Heinrich F. Plett
LEIDEN • BOSTON
2010
Original publication: Systematische Rhetorik. München: Fink, 2000.
Enlarged version: 2009.
Translators: Myra Scholz (Part I), Klaus Klein (Parts II & III)
Copy editors: Myra Scholz (Part II), Fredrik Heinemann (Part III)
Th is book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Plett, Heinrich F.
[Systematische rhetorik. English]
Literary rhetoric : concepts-structures-analyses / by Heinrich F. Plett.
p. cm. — (International studies in the history of rhetoric ; v. 2)
Originally published: Systematische Rhetorik. Munchen: Fink, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-90-04-17113-8 (alk. paper)
1. Rhetoric. 2. Poetics. I. Title. II. Series.
PN189.P5413 2009
808—dc22
2009039181
ISSN 1875-1148
ISBN 978 90 04 17113 8
Copyright 2010 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, Th e Netherlands.
Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing,
IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP.
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CONTENTS
Foreword to the English Edition of Literary Rhetoric ................... xi
PART I
RHETORIC AND LITERATURE
Chapter One From the Decline of Rhetoric to its Revival ........ 3
Chapter Two Rhetorical Literature ............................................... 33
Chapter Th ree Literary Rhetoric .................................................... 39
Chapter Four Rhetoric and Literary Criticism ............................ 51
PART II
THE REALM OF RHETORIC
Chapter One Approaches to Rhetoric .......................................... 57
Chapter Two Th e Domains of Rhetoric ....................................... 59
Chapter Th ree Th e Rhetoric of Figures ........................................ 63
Chapter Four Th e System of Figures ............................................ 65
4.1 Design of a New Model of Figures ..................................... 65
4.2 Model Comparison as Model Critique .............................. 67
4.2.1 Historical Models of Figures of Speech ................ 68
4.2.2 Modern Models of Figures of Speech ................... 70
4.2.3 Critical Synopsis ........................................................ 75
4.3 Pragmatic and Semantic Figures of Speech ...................... 75
Chapter Five Competence and Performance ............................... 79
Chapter Six Th e Aesthetics of the Figures of Speech ................. 87
vi contents
PART III
THE SYSTEM OF FIGURES
Chapter One Phonological Figures ............................................. 97
1.1 Phonaesthetic Basic Structure: Th e Phonic
Figures ................................................................................... 97
1.1.1 Figures of Phonological Deviation
(Metaphonemes) ..................................................... 97
1.1.1.1 Addition ................................................... 98
1.1.1.2 Subtraction ............................................... 99
1.1.1.3 Permutation ............................................. 101
1.1.1.4 Substitution .............................................. 101
Text Analysis: Ernst Jandl, “Etüde in F,” Verses
1–3 (in: Ernst Jandl, Laut und Luise. Neuwied/Berlin:
Luchterhand, 1971, p. 14) ............................................................ 104
1.1.2 Figures of Phonological Equivalence
(Isophonemes) ......................................................... 107
1.1.2.1 Position ..................................................... 107
1.1.2.2 Extent ........................................................ 107
1.1.2.3 Similarity .................................................. 108
1.1.2.4 Frequency ................................................. 109
1.1.2.5 Distribution ............................................. 111
Text Analysis: Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Th e Windhover”
(in: Gerard Manley Hopkins, Poems and Prose, ed. W.H.
Gardner. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1961, p. 30) ................... 114
1.1.2.6 Digression: Semantic Aspects of
Phonaesthetics ......................................... 127
1.2 Phonaesthetic Superstructure: Th e Prosodic Figures .... 129
1.2.1 Phonaesthetic Competence: Metre ...................... 131
1.2.1.1 Accent Figures ......................................... 131
1.2.1.1.1 Position .................................. 132
1.2.1.1.2 Extent ..................................... 132
1.2.1.1.3 Similarity ............................... 133
1.2.1.1.4 Frequency .............................. 133
1.2.1.1.5 Distribution .......................... 134
1.2.1.2 Pause Figures and Pitch Figures .......... 135
1.2.2 Phonaesthetic Performance: Rhythm .................. 136
1.2.2.1 Deviating Accentuation ......................... 139
1.2.2.2 Deviating Pausation ............................... 139
contents vii
Text Analysis: William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s
Dream (V.i.108–117) .................................................................... 142
1.3 Th e Interaction of Phonic and Prosodic Figures ........... 145

Chapter Two Morphological Figures .......................................... 147
2.1 Figures of Morphological Deviation
(Metamorphemes) ............................................................... 147
2.1.1 Intra-word Deviation ............................................. 147
2.1.1.1 Addition .................................................. 148
2.1.1.2 Subtraction ............................................... 148
2.1.1.3 Permutation ............................................. 149
2.1.1.4 Substitution .............................................. 150
Text Analysis: Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky (Th e Annotated
Alice, ed. Martin Gardner. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1966,
p. 191) .............................................................................................. 151
2.1.2 Context-bound Deviations .................................... 156
2.1.2.1 Diastratic Deviations .............................. 156
2.1.2.2 Diatopic Deviations ................................ 157
2.1.2.3 Bilingual or Multilingual Deviations ... 158
2.1.2.4 Diachronic Deviations ........................... 159
2.1.2.5 Digression: Deviations of Word-class
(Conversion) ............................................ 161
Text Analysis: E.E. Cummings, “Anyone Lived in a Pretty
How Town” (in: E.E. Cummings, Selected Poems
1923–1958. London: Faber & Faber, 1970, pp. 44–45) ...... 164
2.2 Figures of Morphological Equivalence
(Isomorphemes) ................................................................... 168
2.2.1 Position ..................................................................... 168
2.2.2 Extent ........................................................................ 171
2.2.3 Frequency ................................................................. 172
2.2.4 Distribution ............................................................. 172
2.2.5 Similarity .................................................................. 173
2.2.5.1 Polyptoton ................................................ 173
2.2.5.2 Paronymy ................................................. 174
2.2.5.3 Th e Ambiguity of Wordplay ................. 175
2.2.5.3.1 Homophonic Wordplay .... 176
2.2.5.3.2 Polysemic and
Homonymic Wordplay ....... 177
2.2.5.3.3 Homeophonic Wordplay
(Paronomasia) ...................... 178
viii contents
2.2.5.3.4 Homeographic Wordplay
(Eye Rhyme) ......................... 179
Text Analysis: George Herbert, “A Wreath” (in: George
Herbert, Th e Works, ed. F. E. Hutchinson. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1964, p. 185) .................................................. 180
Chapter Th ree Syntactic Figures .................................................. 183
3.1 Figures of Syntactic Deviation (Metataxemes) ............... 183
3.1.1 Addition ................................................................... 184
3.1.2 Subtraction ............................................................... 186
3.1.2.1 Ellipsis ....................................................... 186
3.1.2.2 Zeugma ..................................................... 189
3.1.3 Permutation ............................................................. 192
3.1.4 Substitution .............................................................. 195
Text Analysis: Carl Sternheim, Das Fossil I.iv (Excerpt)
(source: Carl Sternheim, Dramen, ed. W. Emrich. 3 vols.
Neuwied: Luchterhand, 1963, vol. I, p. 313) ............................ 198
3.2 Figures of Syntactic Equivalence (Isotaxemes) .............. 200
3.2.1 Similarity .................................................................. 200
3.2.2 Frequency ................................................................. 202
3.2.3 Extent and Position ................................................ 204
3.2.4 Distribution .............................................................. 206
3.2.5 Phonological, Morphological and Semantic
Aspects ...................................................................... 207
Text Analyses ................................................................................. 209
Bertolt Brecht, Lob der Partei ..................................................... 209
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar III.ii.13–47 (the Brutus
speech) ............................................................................................. 210
Chapter Four Semantic Figures ................................................... 215
4.1 Figures of Semantic Deviation (Metasememes) ............. 216
4.1.1 Addition .................................................................... 216
4.1.2 Subtraction ............................................................... 217
4.1.3 Permutation ............................................................. 221
4.1.4 Substitution .............................................................. 221
4.1.4.1 Similarity Tropes (Metaphors) .............. 226
4.1.4.2 Contiguity Tropes (Metonymies) ......... 233
Text Analyses ................................................................................. 239
Johann Wolfgang Goethe, “Kennst du das Land . . .?” ............ 239
Emily Dickinson, “I like to see it lap the Miles” ..................... 241
4.2 Figures of Semantic Equivalence (Isosememes) ............ 244
Text Analyses ................................................................................. 249
contents ix
Edmund Spenser, Th e Faerie Queene III.i.46 ........................... 249
Andreas Gryphius, Die Hölle ...................................................... 250
Chapter Five Graphemic Figures ................................................. 253
5.1 Figures of Graphemic Deviation (Metagraphemes) ...... 253
5.1.1 Addition .................................................................... 254
5.1.2 Subtraction ................................................................ 255
5.1.3 Permutation .............................................................. 257
5.1.4 Substitution ............................................................... 259
5.1.4.1 Substitution within the same
Graphemic System ................................... 259
5.1.4.2 Substitution Outside the same
Graphemic System ................................... 262
Text Analyses ................................................................................. 264
Ernst Jandl, “onkel toms hütte” .................................................. 264
Gerhard Rühm,“schweigen” ........................................................ 265
5.2 Figures of Graphemic Equivalence (Isographemes) ...... 267
Text Analyses ................................................................................. 269
Gerhard Rühm, “die ersten menschen sind auf dem mond” 269
A Poem by E.E. Cummings ......................................................... 271
Václav Havel, “antreten” .............................................................. 274
Chapter Six Textological Figures (Text Figures) ...................... 277
6.1 Figures of Textological Deviation (Metatextemes) ........ 277
6.1.1 Addition .................................................................... 277
6.1.2 Subtraction ................................................................ 278
6.1.3 Substitution ............................................................... 278
6.1.4 Permutation .............................................................. 278
6.2 Figures of Textological Equivalence (Isotextemes) ........ 279
Chapter Seven Intertextual Figures ............................................. 281
7.1 Figures of Intertextual Deviation
(Meta-Intertextemes) .......................................................... 281
7.1.1 Substitution (Quotation) ........................................ 281
7.1.2 Permutation (Cento) ............................................... 283
7.2 Figures of Intertextual Equivalence
(Iso-Intertextemes) .............................................................. 284
Bibliography ........................................................................................ 289
Indices
Index of Names .................................................................................. 315
Index of Subjects ................................................................................ 320