So, that's it!

Now, after such a profound work, I can say that I've made my best and finally finished my project.
During the course of English Stylistics, I've got new knowledge and learned a lot of rules and scheme for analysing literary works.
What was new and interesting for me, first of all, it was the information about the term "Stylistics", its basic elements. Though, some material was already presented in other courses, such as Lexicology or The History of Foreign Literature and we also wrote many stylistic analyses in a course of Practical English. But, with the help of the studying of English Stylistics, my knowledge in this sphere deepened and I received a great experience in investigating some writings.
Now, I can see such things in the text, that a simple reader doesn't even notice. For example, these are Expressive Means or Stylistic Devices used by a writer, special phonology, morphology, lexis, syntax, semasiology and a functional style of a work, all this plays a huge role and serves a definite aim for the perception of the text. It can help to read between the lines. Thus, my understanding and vision of the narrator's words became better and wider.
I liked the idea of "blogging+studying" most of all. It's great to introduce and use new technologies in the process of learning, moreover it contributed to our sharing and taking the experience of our groupmates.
But, usually it wasn't so easy and comfortable to manage to complete all the assignments and exercises given, as there were a big amount of them, so unfortunately, sometimes I didn't get enough sleep.=)))
I hope, after passing all the exams successfully, I will be able to lie and sleep for aaaalllll day on the beach, listening to the surf.=)
All in all, I want to thank the teacher and all my groupmates for giving me invaluable knowledge and experience in English Stylistics!

Complete Stylistic Analysis

Taking into the cosideration all my previous investigations and posts in the blog, I can now compile and fully analyse the suggested work. Let's do it!

So, the text under analysis is the great Christmas short-story "The Gift of the Magi" written by a famous American author O. Henry. It is the pen-name of William Sydney Porter, who wrote colorful short stories with surprising and ironic twists, coincedences and unexpected endings. Incapable of integrating a book-length narrative, O. Henry was skilled in plotting short ones, he wrote in a dry, humorous style. Writing prodigiously, he went on to become a revered American writer. O. Henry's other popular collections of his stories included The Four Million, Heart of the West and The Trimmed Lamp, The Gentle Grafter and The Voice of the City and many others.

Judging by the title, we may suppose that the following story is going to be about Christmas time, giving gifts to each other, it gives us a magical feeling and anticipation. So, we can claim, that the title is suggestive, by its nature.

In this short-story, O.Henry focuses mainly on three great topics -  poverty, generosity, and most important of all - love. In this work, whose title is an allusion to the gifts of the three wise men to Jesus when he was born, the author clearly shows the value of personal affection and the true meaning of giving gifts.

I believe, the main idea and message is that the best gift is which is most sincere and comes from the the heart instead of an lavish and phony possession that would bring nothing to the warmth of the human relationships. The narrator's idea is especially emphasized when both of the main characters discover that the presents they had received are of any use to them. In this way, the gifts that the two lovers give each other become symbols of the passionate love and devotion that they feel for each other and that will never be dissappear because of their poverty. Thus, the main characters are considered to be the wisest magi. 

As for the setting, it can be shortly described as a drab flat in a grey city on Christmas Eve. Almost from the very beginning O. Henry drives our attention to the two most important parts of the setting: the story takes place on Christmas, and its two main characters live in a very frugal appartaments in a gray city.

The type of narration is mainly narrative, with the elements of dialogues and descriptions, and the narrator's comments. It's 3d person narration which creates the atmosphere
that the story is narrated as if someone is telling it to you aloud. This effect is achieved by breaking the grammar rules, using elliptical sentences. Of course, as O. Henry is trying to capture that feel of telling a story orally, he also throws in plenty of addresses to his audience of listeners, as in, "Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends – a mammoth task". This further creates the feeling that he is talking directly to us. The narrator also take breaks from the action to "make a point." He speaks as if he's seen the world and understood it well – he's wise, in other words – and he wants to teach you some lessons about it. 

The compositional structure consists of several constituents:

Introduction: when we are informed about the problem: Della has only $1.87 to buy a present for her husband, and it's already Christmas Eve. When Della lets down her hair, we also learn the other most important fact of the story: as they are very poor, her hair, Jim's gold watch and their love to each other are the only treasures the couple has.

Complication or development of events: By selling her hair, Della gets the money to buy Jim a wonderful present, so the first problem dissapears with a help of a decisive action. Finally she finds the desirable present - a gold chain for his watch. But now there's a new problem: will Jim be pleased by Della's action and appreciate her gift, or will he be angry with her for cutting the hair off that he loved so much? When Jim arrives, he stares at Della and can't realize what had happened to her hair. But it doesn't look like he's angry, or upset, or shocked. Della can't quite understand what kind of mood he's having, nor can we. This creates suspense - we want to know what it is he's actually feeling and how he'll react to Della's gift.

Climax: When Della opens Jim's present to find the combs, we understand why Jim was so shocked. It also becomes clear now that he's not angry with Della, and he assures her he'll love her no matter how she looks. Although the climax doesn't fully "predict" the ending, it is the first half of the twist.

Suspense and denouement: We still don't know what Jim will say when receive Della's gift, and we may also be interested, where he got the money to buy those expensive combs. So, Della presents Jim the watch chain, and he, presented with his gift, calmly reveals that he sold his watch to buy Della her combs. So her present is useless too. In this situation not much left to do but eat those pork chops.

Conclusion: In the narrator's final paragraph, which is definitely a "zoom out" of epic proportions, the narrator tells us that it doesn't really matter that Jim and Della's presents turned out to be useless. They are the wisest givers of all – in fact, they're the magi. We leave feeling satisfied and happy.

The personages' characteristics and descriptions are mostly indirect. 

The narrator depicts Della as the loving, heartwarming, soft and a little bit hysterical protagonist of the story. Della's "mistress of the home", because of a poverty they live in. She only lives for one thing person: Jim, her husband. She's spent a lot of the time thinking of a Christmas for him:
"She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him."
We can notice from the citation, that Della throws all energy, all herself into her love to Jim. She's been saving for months just to collect money for a Christmas present. Della is ready to go to any length to achieve this goal, and as a result sells her one prized possession – her hair. Actually, the only thing that Della is worried about losing her hair is if Jim likes it or not. She's concerned he won't find her beautiful anymore. She doesn't think of herself at all.

Jim's the only breadwinner of the Dillingham family, and he works a lot, but his salary is low. And not long ago it went worse: before he used to make $30 a week he's now getting $20. He and Della are struggling just to pay for their small flat. So if Jim happens in the story to look  a little exhausted, serious, and probably underweight, there's a reason for it.
"He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves."

Only his love for Della keeps Jim standing. His description proves that he is just as devoted to Della as she is to him. That's why Jim gives up his most precious possession to find a perfect gift for his lover.

Madame Sofronie is the owner of a hair shop, which sells "hair goods of all kinds". She is depicted as "large," "white," and "chilly". Her manner is direct, she is not impressed by Della's gorgeous hair at all, and casually offers to buy it for $20. Madame Sofronie's attitude creates a sharp contrast to Della and Jim.

The author talently uses a lot of stylistic devices and expressive means to put the reader in the atmosphere of the story, to make the descriptions more vivid and bright.

At first, it's interesting to notice the repetition of number three throughout the story. Some examples include:

• Three characters (Della, Jim, Madame Sofronie) with three very valuable items (hair, watch, love)

• Three magi (Balthasar, Melchior, Gaspar) from three different kingdoms (Arabia, Persia, India) who offered three gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh)

• Color grey mentioned three times

• Alliteration that comes in threes: "sobs, sniffles, smiles", "sudden serious sweetness",
  "wonderfully wise men".

• Allusion to the Queen of Sheba known for giving three gifts to King Solomon

Irony: One type of irony can be seen in this story, situational irony. By selling their most prized possessions to buy something for the other, they wind up selling that which they need to use the gifts the other has given.

Symbolism

• Biblical Imagery: Three wise men, Queen of Sheba, King Solomon. The comparison of Jim and Della's possessions to those of Biblical figures helps bring out how precious those two gifts are to their owners; to Jim and Della they're treasures, which they give away. But that's not all the images of Solomon and Sheba do. By bringing them up, and by mentioning the magi, O. Henry creates a sharp contrast between their spectacular riches and the obvious poverty and Jim and Della.
  The narrator wants us to think about what it means to be truly rich. Where it really counts, Jim and Della are as rich as Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, and the magi, because they love each other. Just like the magi and Solomon (both figures famous for their wisdom), they're also wise, as the last paragraph tells us. The Biblical imagery also beefs up the story's credibility as a parable. By invoking the Bible at moments, O. Henry makes "Gift of the Magi" feel more morally weighty.

• Color Imagery: The grey and colorless setting directly contrasts the Christmas time of year when everything should be sparkling and brightly colored in holiday decorations.

Gradation: "It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror, nor any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for."

Oxymoron: "My hair grows awfully fast."

Similie and personification: "..the letters of "Dillingham" looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D."

All these stylistic devices are used in order to give a bright descriptions to the personages and their emotions, it gives the understanding of the story be the reader more clear.

In conclusion, I should say, that the suggested work is a tremendous story, which is the result of the prominent author's style of writing and talent. He skillfully uses stylistic devices, symbols and imagery to show thw readers the events, emotions and characters in the most vivid, alive and bright way. The short-story "The Gift of the Magi" appeals to me very much, I enjoyed reading it, as it describes such strong, truthfull and warm feeling as love and devotion, which doesn't recognize any material goods. It lives in the hearts of the couple, making them the richiest people. In this way, we can say that the protagonists are the real magi, because their gifts of no use, but full of self-sacrifice and love, given to each other are very wise.

Author's Craft

At first, it's important to mention that the story is narrated as if someone is telling it to you aloud. How does O. Henry achieve this effect? Basically he breaks grammar rules. There are a lot of eliptical sentences, like the opening one: "One dollar and eighty-seven cents". We get that information in the next sentence: "That was all". Although the second sentence at least has a verb, it's also technically not a complete sentence: the subject, "that," is unspecified, and only makes sense given the previous sentence. It's typical of the ways we tell stories when we speak. This style keeps listeners hanging on from one sentence to the next. It also prevents them from getting lost in overly long sentences. Since when you're listening to a story you can't go back and read a sentence again, it's important that you don't get lost.

Of course, as O. Henry is trying to capture that feel of telling a story orally, he also throws in plenty of addresses to his audience of listeners, as in, "Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends – a mammoth task". This further creates the feeling that he is talking directly to us. The narrator also take breaks from the action to "make a point." He speaks as if he's seen the world and understood it well – he's wise, in other words – and he wants to teach you some lessons about it.

As for EM and SD...

Repetition: It's interesting to notice the number three figures prominently throughout the story. Parts of the events, characters, and other elements all come in threes. Some examples include:

• Three characters (Della, Jim, Madame Sofronie) with three very valuable items (hair, watch, love)
• Three magi (Balthasar, Melchior, Gaspar) from three different kingdoms (Arabia, Persia, India) who offered three gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh)
• Counting money three times
• Color grey mentioned three times
• Alliteration that comes in threes: "sobs, sniffles, smiles", "sudden serious sweetness",
  "wonderfully wise men".
• Allusion to the Queen of Sheba known for giving three gifts to King Solomon

Irony: One type of irony can be seen in this story, situational irony. By selling their most prized possessions to buy something for the other, they wind up selling that which they need to use the gifts the other has given.

Symbolism

• Biblical Imagery: Three wise men, Queen of Sheba, King Solomon. What do all three of these references have in common, besides being Biblical figures? Well, they're all royal, very rich Biblical figures. The magi are often said to be kings, and brought Jesus three very expensive gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh), while Sheba and Solomon were both powerful monarchs renowned for their wealth and splendor. The comparison of Jim and Della's possessions to those of Biblical figures helps bring out how precious those two items are to their owners; to Jim and Della they're treasures, which they give away. But that's not all the images of Solomon and Sheba do. By bringing them up, and by mentioning the magi, O. Henry creates a sharp contrast between their spectacular riches and the obvious poverty and Jim and Della.
  We have to wonder why O. Henry would do that. Because ultimately the story wants us to think about what it means to be truly rich. Where it really counts, Jim and Della are as rich as Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, and the magi, because they love each other. Just like the magi and Solomon (both figures famous for their wisdom), they're also wise, as the last paragraph tells us.
  The Biblical imagery also beefs up the story's credibility as a parable. By invoking the Bible at moments, O. Henry makes "Gift of the Magi" feel more morally weighty.
• Color Imagery: The grey and colorless setting directly contrasts the Christmas time of year when everything should be sparkling and brightly colored in holiday decorations.

Meet the Cast

Della - a devoted woman.

The narrator describes Della as the loving, heartwarming, soft and a little bit hysterical protagonist of the story. Della's "mistress of the home", because of a poverty they live in. She only lives for one thing person: Jim, her husband. She's spent a lot of the time thinking of a Christmas for him:
"She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him."
We can notice from the citation, that Della throws all energy, all herself into her love to Jim. She's been saving for months just to collect money for a Christmas present. She has even tolerated the humiliation of taking pennies at stores.
Jim deserves the best, that is why Della's so tries to find him the perfect present: "Something fine and rare and sterling – something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim".
Della is ready to go to any length to achieve this goal, and as a result sells her one prized possession – her hair. Although she at first was sad about cutting her hear off, really it didn't affect her that much. She has to get Jim a present: "I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. It'll grow out again – you won't mind, will you? I just had to do it".
Actually, the only thing that Della is worried about losing her hair is if Jim likes it or not. She's concerned he won't find her beautiful anymore. She doesn't think of herself at all. And this is her feature of character that insipres and at the same time strickes me. That's her sacrifying devotion.

Jim -a loving man.

Jim's the only breadwinner of the Dillingham family, and he works a lot, but his salary is low. And not long ago it went worse: before he used to make $30 a week he's now getting $20. He and Della are struggling just to pay for their small flat. So if Jim happens in the story to look  a little exhausted, serious, and probably underweight, there's a reason for it.
"He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two--and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves."
Only his love for Della keeps Jim standing. His description proves that he is just as devoted to Della as she is to him. That's why Jim gives up his most precious possession to find a perfect gift for his lover. "Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less."
We may wonder...Why does Jim love Della so much? Perhaps partly because she loves him so much.
We also have noticed that Della is also a little jumpy. Jim's definitely the more levelheaded one in the relationship. While she reacts to his present with shrieks and wails, he just reacts to hers by rolling onto the couch and smiling.

Madame Sofronie - a sharp contrast.

Madame Sofronie is the owner of a hair shop, which sells "hair goods of all kinds". She is depicted as "large," "white," and "chilly". Her manner is direct, she is not impressed by Della's gorgeous hair at all, and casually offers to buy it for $20.
Madame Sofronie's attitude creates a sharp contrast to Della and Jim. For both of them, Della's hair is a treasure – and Della's sale of it amounts to an enormous sacrifice. None of this matters to Madame Sofronie, for whom it's just another profit. We can claim she represents "the cold, uncaring world" which is outside the home of love Della and Jim have built for themselves.

Plot Peculiarities

'Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, development of events, climax, anticlimax, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.'

'One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all.'

The introduction of the story shows us immediately the problem: Della has only $1.87 to buy a present for her husband, and it's already Christmas Eve. When Della lets down her hair, we also learn the other most important fact of the story: as they are very poor, her hair, Jim's gold watch and their love to each other are the only treasures the couple has.

The brave decision.

There is an interesting point in the "Gift of the Magi"- a first conflict escapes from the first problem and is followed by a next one. By selling her hair, Della gets the money to buy Jim a wonderful present, so the first problem dissapears with a help of a decisive action. Finally she finds the desirable present - a gold chain for his watch! But now there's a new problem: will Jim be pleased by Della's action and appreciate her gift, or will he be angry with her for cutting the hair off that he loved so much?

Oh, that awkward moment...

When Jim arrives, he doesn't seem to react good: he stares at Della and can't realize what had happened to her hair. But it doesn't look like he's angry, or upset, or shocked. Della can't quite understand what kind of mood he's having, nor can we. This creates suspense - we want to know what it is he's actually feeling and how he'll react to Della's gift. When Jim gets out of his shock, he tells Della to open the present he bought her…

Combs for her hair!

When Della opens Jim's present to find the combs, we understand why Jim was so surprised. It also becomes clear now that he's not angry with Della, and he claims that he'll love her no matter how long is her hair. And if we think about where Jim got the money to buy those combs, we may guess what happens next.

Chain for his watch!

We still don't know what Jim will say when receive Della's gift, and we may also be interested, where he got the money to buy those expensive combs. So, Della presents Jim the watch chain, and…

Irony?

Presented with his gift, Jim calmly tells with a smile that he sold his watch to buy Della her combs. He, as well as Della, also sacrified his only treasurable possession for the sake of their love. So her present is "useless" for him too. After this exchanging of valuable presents not much left to do for them but eat those pork chops.

Wise magi.

In the end of the story, the narrator tells us that it doesn't really matter that Jim and Della's gifts turned out to be unneccessary. They are the wisest and the most loving givers of presents of all – so we can call them the magi, in fact. In conclusion, we feel satisfied and happy for the lovers.

I want you to settle LOVE in your hearts!

As my colleages do, I want to share with you a video, that evokes feelings and sends goose-skin. This is a concert of Queen and their song "Love of my life".

A drab flat in a grey city on Christmas Eve

Hello, everybody! To start with a positive note, I congratulate all you with the REAL beginning of the spring. Enjoy the sun!=)
So, almost from the very beginning O. Henry drives our attention to the two most important parts of the setting: the story takes place on Christmas, and its two main characters live in a very frugal appartaments in a gray city. The following actions of the story depend on the fact that Christmas is coming, thus Della needs to buy a special present for her love-one now, even with an extremely small amount of money. The couple's very unassuming dwelling shows their being reduced to poverty vividly. It's their misery and wish to present something valuable to each other both force them to make the sacrifices they do, and which makes those sacrifices meaningful and wise. The author depicts the flat with such details that convey an image of its "mendicancy squalor": it's cheap ($8 per week), sparsely furnished, and has broken mailbox and doorbell.
To my mind, this drabness of the surrounding setting in which Jim and Della live forms a contrast with the

heartiness and depth of their love and devotion for each other. The fact that everything outside the appartaments is cold and "grey" – Della watches a "gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard" – develops the contrast even further. Inside, on the contrary, we feel, that the couple's affection creates a warm love nest, in spite of the flat's humble nature. The season, which the events take place also plays a big role, and Christmas time also creates an atmosphere of warmth, wonders, and family love, it makes the story more Magian.

As for the wider "where and when," we can suppose, that the story is set in a city of New York – "flats" are the kind of thing we often associate with cities. From the "gas" which Della lights and the equipment she has (i.e., a stove and curling irons), it is possible to claim, that the story is set just about the time O. Henry wrote it (first decade of the 20th century), or a little bit earlier.

Cheсk it out!

Creative Quotations from O. Henry

O. Henry. The Master of irony and surprises

We all know such prominent American author as O. Henry. It is the pseudonym of William Sydney Porter, who wrote colorful short stories with surprising and ironic twists, coincedences and unexpected endings. He was born on September 11, 1862, in Greensboro, North Carolina. Porter attended school for a short time, then clerked in an uncle's drugstore. At the age of 20 William Sydney Porter went to Texas, working first on a ranch and later as a bank teller. Then he married and began to write freelance sketches. A few years later he founded a humorous weekly, the Rolling Stone and worked as a columnist. Released from prison in 1902, Porter went to New York, his home and the setting of most of his fiction for the remainder of his life. The writer pioneered in picturing the lives of lower-class and middle-class New Yorkers. Incapable of integrating a book-length narrative, O. Henry was skilled in plotting short ones, he wrote in a dry, humorous style.  Writing prodigiously, he went on to become a revered American writer. O. Henry's other popular collections of his stories included The Four Million (1906); Heart of the West and The Trimmed Lamp (both 1907); The Gentle Grafter and The Voice of the City (both 1908); even after O. Henry's death on June 5, 1910, stories continued to be collected: Sixes and Sevens (1911); Rolling Stones (1912); Waifs and Strays (1917); O. Henryana (1920); and O. Henry Encore (1939).

First impressions

 "...life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating."- Is it really so?

As I have read the story "The Gift of a Magi" for the first time, it left a lasting impressions on me. I should say, that my expectations about the plot of the text were mostly correct. This is a short-story about a great and strong feeling of love between two young people. The couple works very hard, although lives in a poor flat, and there is not enough money for each of the lovers to buy a suitable present for Christmas. But they are always ready to sacrifice their most expensive and valueless things for the sake of such deep devotion to each other. Della and Jim are like real magi, their gifts presented and recieved wisely. The most appealing detaill for me in this story  was that the protagonists are so innocent, and dedicated to their powefull love. They consider each other to be worth the greatest treasures in their lives.
As for my own opinion, I do believe, that such a strong feeling to another person still exists in our modern world of cruelty, cynicism and greed. And you should trust me! ;) I wish everybody to look out of window, see the spring sun, and to fill your hearts with this bright and pure feeling of love!

Expectations versus Reality

The Gift of the Magi

by O. Henry

I have chosen this story of an outstanding American short-story writer O. Henry, because I enjoy reading his works, as they are always written in a laconic but still bright, vivid and interesting way with unexpected turns and surprise endings. You can never tell what will happen next. As for "The Gift of the Magi", I haven't read it before, but my expectations and feelings about it are very warm and romantic. To my mind, this is a love-story, where the couple give some small but very special gifts to each other on such a great holiday as Christmas. I hope the reading and further analyzing will bring pleasure to me.
P.S. NEVER click on this link, if you do, you will have to read the whole thing!!! NO! Don't do it!!! TOPSECRET

Ready! Steady! Go!

Hello, everyone! Here is my first blog, devoted to the studying of English Stylistics! I'm so excited and intrested in learning online. I've been really waiting for this moment. It's a good sign, that our education system will have another qualitative level and students will be able to get useful information and knowledge for their future in the internet. And I'm one of a thousand. It was not difficult for me at all to create a blog, as I like and appreciate such kind of work, cooperating and communicating with my group-mates (sometimes it's even not enough time to talk with them during the period at the university, you know;). So, I believe, it's a good start and the students will have more interesting tasks, and we will cope with them easily and with joy. Goog luck, guys!