DEVIATION AND PARALLELISM AS FOREGROUNDING MECHANISMS IN WILLIAM WORDSWORTH’S DAFFODILS: A STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

Foregrounding is among the important concepts within stylistics because it accounts for the means of creation of aesthetic and emotive effects in literature through linguistic prominence. Foregrounding is analyzed by Mukarovsky's theory of foregrounding, and according to Leech's theory of stylistics, the present research considers deviation and parallelism as two important forms of foregrounding that occur in William Wordsworth's poem, "Daffodils," written in 1807. Adopting a qualitative stylistic analysis approach, this study analyses the poem in terms of graphological, phonological, lexical, syntactical, and semantic aspects of foregrounding. The results indicate that Wordsworth foregrounds language using linguistic devices such as sound effects, repetitions, personification, metaphors, imagery, and parallelism. Foregrounding makes the poem more effective in portraying nature, imagination, memory, and emotional revival. The main conclusion made at the end of this research is that foregrounding is an important device used in meaning-making, not just decoration of language in poetry.