GRAPHOSTYLISTICS IN ENGLISH POETRY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/2412-933X/2026-XXVI-18Keywords:
graphostylistics, English poetry, poetic text, graphic organization, stylistic levels, visual foregrounding, textual organization, stylistics of textAbstract
The article examines graphostylistics as a linguistically relevant level of stylistic organisation in English poetry. While traditional linguistic stylistics has focused primarily on phonological, lexical, grammatical, and semantic levels, the graphic dimension of written language has often been marginalised or treated as secondary. This study argues that graphic form constitutes a systematic set of stylistic means that actively participate in meaning construction and textual organisation in poetic discourse. The research adopts a linguistically grounded approach to graphostylistics, treating graphic features not as isolated visual effects or instances of formal experimentation, but as structured devices that interact with other stylistic levels. The analysis draws on poetic texts representing different historical stages of English poetry, including early pattern poetry, modernist experimentation, and postmodern poetic practice. Particular attention is paid to such graphostylistic means as lineation, spacing, punctuation, and page layout. The results demonstrate that graphostylistic devices perform a range of semantic and pragmatic functions, including the regulation of reading pace, the foregrounding, and the disruption of linear textual progression. The analysis shows that iconic spatial organisation, syntactic fragmentation, and nonstandard page orientation represent recurrent and functionally distinct models of graphostylistic organisation. These models reveal stable patterns of interaction between graphic form and verbal language as opposed to purely author-specific strategies. The study confirms that graphostylistics should be treated as an integral component of stylistic analysis within the linguistics of text. The article contributes to the expansion of linguistic stylistics by clarifying the status of graphostylistic means and demonstrating their functional role in English poetry. Additionally, it provides a framework for further research into graphic organisation in poetic and literary discourse.
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