Foregrounding ENG 551 Lecture 12

Foregrounding Defamiliarization Automatization Deviation Parallelism Tropes Schemes

Foregrounding As a painting acts against a background of norms, the artist’s skill lies not in mechanically reproducing these, but in introducing unexpected departures form them. “As a general rule, anyone who wishes to investigate the significance and value of a work of art must concentrate on the element of interest and surprise, rather than on automatic pattern” (Leech, A Linguistic guide to English Poetry: 57)

Foregrounding Such departures from norms/rules of writing/expression are given a special name of “Foregrounding”. Which evokes the analogy of a figure seen against a background. The artistic deviation sticks out from its background the automatic system, like a figure in the foreground of a visual field. The application of this concept is found in poetry. Example: “A grief ago” Dylan Thomas Readers interpret it by measuring it against the background of the regular/expected pattern.

A convincing illustration of the power of foregrounding to suggest latent significance is furnished by modern poets who make use of stylistic devices of transporting pieces of ordinary, non poetic language into poetic context. The Waste Land T.S Eliot The bar-parlor monologue:

Example of Foregrounding by Geoffery Leech When Lil’s husband got demobbed, I said- I didn’t mince my words, I said to her myself,… Now Albert’s coming back, make yourself a bit smart. He’s want to know what you done with that money he gave you To get yourself some teeth. (T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land, A Game of Chess )

This passage a monologue that seems a conversation rather than a poetic utterance occurs in a poem, causes us to pay to pay it the compliment of unusual scrutiny. It is foregrounded One asks, what is the point of its inclusion at this place in the poem? What is its relevance to its context? What is its artistic significance in the light what we have understood of the rest of the poem?

This method of composition recalls the painter’s technique of “collage” in particular; gumming of bits of newspapers, advertisements etc. on the surface of a canvas. We look at it with more attention because it appears odd and out of context. Same applies to Eliot’s literary collage. That becomes a foregrounded feature in the poem and sets itself apart form the background that is regular.

Because I could Not Stop for Death Emily Dickinson Because I could not stop for Death— He kindly stopped for me— The Carriage held but just Ourselves And Immortality. We slowly—He knew no haste And I had put My labor and my leisure too, For his Civility— Death personified as a suitor

Interpretation and Foregrounding What is interpretation? Action or process understanding the meaning and giving explanation to things and ideas which are complex or ambiguous. To understand something. To decide the meaning/purpose of something Gives clarity to ideas, reveals implications and symbolic meaning.