Aesthetic Language
What is it?
Language which is crafted to create something beautiful. Only the language of
information deliberately avoids trying to be beautiful & engaging, choosing
instead to present the facts in a purely objective fashion. All other types –
argumentative, persuasive, narrative and descriptive – aim for beauty as well as
clarity.
Examples:
Poetry, song lyrics, quotations, novels, plays. Any great work of art: think William
Shakespeare, James Joyce, Seamus Heaney or equally Emily Bronte, Sylvia Plath,
Eavan Boland.
Layout:
There are no rules, there is only beauty. Emily Dickinson ignored all the ‘rules’ of
grammar to create an aesthetic effect; so did James Joyce. Great writers master
their craft by obeying the rules at first but they will also experiment and play
with ornate language to create something new.
Style:
Similes, metaphors, personification, symbolism, contrast, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, rhyme, rhythm, recurring motifs, pathetic fallacy, allusion,
foreshadowing, dramatic irony, poetic justice. However, just using literary
techniques won’t necessarily make your writing aesthetically pleasing and
beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, so what I might consider beautiful,
you might consider boring.
Design your own TY English Workbook Alternative Front Cover
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