Vol. 16, Issue 1, Jul-Dec 2023
Page: 1-13
A Stylistic Analysis of Feminist Euphemisms in Selected English Novels: A Comparative Study
Samar Nazar Saeed, Prof. Dr. Abdulkarim Fadil Jameel
Received Date: 2024-12-12
Accepted Date: 2025-01-16
Published Date: 2025-01-28
This study examines euphemistic expressions used by female writers in literary genres to show the significance of euphemisms in feminist discourse and their stylistic implications. More adequately, it sheds light from a stylistic perspective on their use by two famous female British writers, namely Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf, in their novels Amma (1815) and To the Lighthouse (1927), respectively. Euphemisms are a problematic linguistic concept since their meanings have a connotation reference that may be indirect and unclear to the audience. The research investigates how feminist euphemisms contribute to forming a stylistic deviation in the data under the study. A mixed method of the qualitative and quantitative approach is followed to analyse the data in question by using an eclectic model that encompasses Warren's (1992) semantic innovation, Short's (1996) formal deviation, and Leech's (1983) politeness principles. After analysing the data, it is concluded that Austen is renowned for her detailed depiction of early 19th-century English society, while Woolf emphasises cultural aspects that emerged in the early 20th century and is characterised by its experimental approaches to narrative, form, and language.
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