Linguistic Levels of Foregrounding in William Butler Yeats’ Deirdre, The Hour Glass, and Purgatory: An Overview

Abstract

: The evaluation of stylistics in William Butler Yeats‘ theatre is the main subject of study in this paper. In addition, this study aims at identifying the diverse sum of knowledge by earlier scholars comprehensively in the stylistic studies on all of Yeats‘ plays, and especially in application of the theory of foregrounding on the different linguistic levels on his plays. The methodology in the linguistic theory of foregrounding follows the model of Geoffrey Leech and Mick Short (1981). The paper follows the qualitative method of analysis. The utilization of stylistic approaches has been widely applied in literature, most importantly on Yeats‘ poems and prose, but is to a lesser extent on his drama. However less it may be, the analysis of stylistic methodology in the dramatic literature of Yeats has been sufficient, diverse, and encouraging. In addition, earlier research and published literature have assisted in the use of stylistic methods within this context. This article paves the way to study the stylistic techniques of foregrounding in three of Yeats‘ verse plays namely, Deirdre (1907), The Hour Glass (1914)