SEMANTIC DEVIATIONS IN “THE FLATS ROAD” BY ALICE MUNRO: A STYLISTIC STUDY

Abstract

This study attempts to examine the short story “The Flats Road” by Alice Munro from the lens of stylistics. The short story is laden with semantic deviations as it consists of multifarious stylistic choices that adds in the emotional intensity of the story. The Flats Road, in the short story, is neither a metropolitan nor a rural area. The war-horrified people of the town showcase the symptoms of subjugation. All these themes are established by author’s crafty usage of semantic deviations and stylistic devices. The study in hand is descriptive qualitative. Analytical portion of the study is based on the theoretical positions of Leech and Short (1981) from their famous work “Style in Fiction”. The study is significant in a way that its findings will assist the readers in understanding the mechanics of language and making meaningful interpretation of fictional texts. This study will aid in augmenting the linguistic creativity and language practice. The study is instrumental in highlighting the functions of rhetoric and compositional techniques.