‘On grieving and holding on’ in Kate Osias’s flash fiction “Dinner For Two”: A stylistic analysis
Keywords:
Flash fiction, Philippine literature, stylistic analysisAbstract
In recent years, there has been a growth in research interest in stylistic analyses of fiction. However, stylistic studies on the very short story genre called flash fiction remain scant. To fill this gap, the present study aims to conduct a stylistic investigation of one flash fiction written by a Filipino. Specifically, it examines “Dinner For Two” by Kate Osias based upon the following stylistic aspects: lexical categories, grammatical categories, and figures of speech. By combining linguistic criterion (or discrimination) and literary criterion, the stylistic analysis has helped in the deciphering of the language of the flash fiction under study by providing a more critical and objective approach to literary interpretation. Based on the analysis of the textual features along stylistic lines, it can be assumed that with brevity at its heart, flash fiction’s limitations are strengths because they may not only hook the readers but may also propel them to concentrate on the power of language, association, and inference. From this description, it can be argued that understatement and purposeful ambiguity are vital in flash fiction. Through the use of evocative language, flash fiction, as a literary genre, best works via implication.
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