Abstract:

Every good piece of writing, fictional or otherwise is marked by a good introduction. This initial part is the primary provider of the reader’s first impression that sustains the reading. The introduction as well as the other parts of a written or spoken text is essentially realized through specially selected language. In prose fiction, special selections and patterns are the hallmarks. This paper explores the devices of style deployed by Usman in the creation of the introduction to Hope in Anarchy. It involves an intensive reading of the first chapter of the novel to unravel its artistic underpinnings for creating and sustaining the interest of the reader in the story. This thorough reading follows a general but careful reading of the entire text to establish the writer’s preoccupation and general tone. Excerpts from the introductory chapter form the data, and the analytical framework is linguistic stylistics. The analysis reveals that the novelist annexes contrastive lexical and syntactic devices, adjectives and adverbs of varied types and semantic nuances and morpho-phonological choices to introduce and delineate characters, develop events and create suspense. The paper concludes that both the novelty and typicality of the narrative derive from these stylistic constructs.   

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