Stylistics routledge English Language Introductions

extending
and 
elaboration
(Kövecses 2002: 48). Extending a metaphor means expressing it
through linguistic resources which introduce new conceptual elements from the
source domain. In the poem, McGough extends the source domain from the more
general concept of sport to one specific type of sport, and this enables yet further
stylistic-expressive possibilities in the way the target domain is subsequently devel-
oped. The particular spatial organisation of tennis, with its back and forth movement
between ball and players, is captured stylistically by the break up of the text into two
columns, and this forces the reading of the text into a similar to and fro movement.
Put another way, both sides of the game of love, as it were, are embodied in a textual
layout which serves as an 
orientational metaphor
. Conventional orientational
metaphors use the idea of space as a vehicle for tracking human emotion, where
GOOD IS UP
(‘I feel on top of the world’) and 
BAD IS DOWN
(‘He’s pretty low these
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days’). Unlike these vertical metaphors, McGough’s orientation is horizontal, and
this directionality embodies not only the emotional to and fro but the sense of
implicit conflict that exists between the couple.
A range of levels of language are also exploited in order to 
elaborate
the under-
lying conceptual metaphor in the poem. Elaboration involves capturing an existing
component of the source domain in an unusual or unconventional way. For example,
once the source domain has been extended to tennis, special features of this domain,
such as its 
props
(see A10 and B10), can acquire extra signification in the metaphor-
ical mapping. The net which serves as the physical barrier in a tennis court symbolises
a spiritual and emotional barrier between the estranged couple. Similarly, the numer-
ical scoring system used in tennis allows for further elaboration, where the reference
to ‘40’ in the title parallels the age of the couple and, even more fortuitously, the
reference to ‘love’ allows a metaphorical projection from the sport domain to the
more abstract target domain of human relationships. Derived from the French 
l’oeuf
on account of the resemblance of an egg to the zero symbol, the tennis-domain ‘love’
facilities a pun (A12) because it allows more than one sense to be projected. The
score in the game of love for the middle aged couple is, it seems, at zero.
Throughout the poem, a variety of devices enable a conceptual projection to be
made from the physical body of the poem into the more abstract world of human
relationships. In sum, McGough’s text illustrates well the idea of novelty in metaphor
because it offers both a new type of conceptual mapping between a source and target
domain as well as a striking method of expression to relay the metaphor.
The broad themes raised in this unit are translated into a set of practical activi-
ties across in C11, where some of the ideas developed in A11, including those on
metonymy, are also reintroduced. The reading that concludes this strand, by Peter
Stockwell, examines an important issue in the theory of metaphor which relates to
how the two concepts involved in a metaphorical mapping are affected by the
mapping process.
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SECTION C
EXPLORATION
INVESTIGATING STYLE
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IS THERE A ‘LITERARY LANGUAGE’?
As far as most stylisticians are concerned, the short answer to the question which heads
this unit is ‘no’. That is to say, there exists no feature or pattern of language which is
inherently or exclusively ‘literary’ in all contexts. This may seem a curious stance to
adopt given stylistics’ close association with literary discourse. After all, literature
offers the chance to explore language that is out of the ordinary, language which is
often the preeminent embodiment of the creative spirit. It is also the case that there
have been, over the centuries, certain conventions in writing styles that mark certain
literary epochs, such as the alliterative style of the Anglo-Saxon poem, the sonnet form
of later periods in literary history, or, later again, forms like the novel and the novella.
However, these forms of writing are more representative of specific codes or conven-
tions of use which may change over time, rather than confirmation of the existence of
a special language which in its very essence is immutably, and for all time, ‘literary’.
The question now begged is why, if there is such widespread rejection of the
concept within stylistics, does the issue of ‘literary language’ need to be discussed or
even mentioned? The answer to this question is the main focus of this unit. In the
following sub-unit, some of the broader theoretical consequences of the ‘literary
language’ debate are framed, while the sub-unit after that makes use of a short poem
to extend and explore this problematic concept in a more practical and directed way.
The ‘literary language’ issue
Contemporary stylistics’ resistance to a distinct form of ‘literary language’ might on
the face of it seem like a rather cynical snipe at the many literary critics who believe
the opposite; at those who believe not only that there exists a literary language, but
that literature can be defined by its use of this special language. Let me address this
issue this by making three basic points.
One of the most important concerns in the practice of stylistics is that the language
used in literary texts should not be cut adrift from its reflexes in the common
resources of everyday discourse. Stylistics is interested in what writers do