A Linguistic (Stylistic) Reading of Ideological Discourse in Festus Iyayi’s Violence, The Contract and Heroes - Article

Oct 15, 2026

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This paper uses linguistic (stylistic) analysis to examine the ideological discourse in Festus Iyayi’s novels—Violence, The Contract, and Heroes—linking literature and ideology through language for societal transformation. It investigates recurring patterns of language use to support evaluation of quality and the interpretive meanings of the texts. The analysis is anchored in Marxist literary criticism grounded in socialist and dialectical theories, employing Critical Discourse Analysis and four tools: narrative technique, lexical choice, dialogue, and authorial comments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

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Introduction

Literature, Commitment and Revolutionary Ideology

Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 [www.alls.aiac.org.au](www.alls.aiac.org.au) | A Linguistic (Stylistic) Reading of Ideological Discourse in Festus Iyayi’s Violence, The Contract and Heroes
OyedokunAlli*, Wasiu Ademola
Department of English and Literary Studies, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria Corresponding Author: OyedokunAlli, [E-mail: wasiu.oyedokun@fuoye.edu.ng](E-mail: wasiu.oyedokun@fuoye.edu.ng) | | | --- | --- | | ARTICLE INFO | ABSTRACT
This paper undertakes, through the prism of linguistic (stylistic) analysis, a reading of the ideological discourse in Festus Iyayi’s novels- Violence, The Contract, and Heroes, with the broad aim of establishing the nexus between literature and ideology, through the instrumentation of language, for societal transformation. The paper explores the symbiotic relationship between language and literature and how the former is used in the study and understanding of the latter. Attempt is made to identify the patterns of use of language with reference to the purpose of commenting on quality, the exegesis and interpretative meanings ofthe text. The scaffold upon which our analysis is anchored is the Marxist literary criticism based on socialist and dialectical theories. It is the contention of the Marxist theorists that literary works are a reflection of the social institutions from which they originate. Terry Eagleton has affirmed that Marxist criticism“is not merely sociology of literature” but paying attention to its forms, style and meaning with a view to grasping those forms, style and meaning “as the products of a particular history. In all, four major literary tools-narrative technique, lexical choice, dialogue and authorial comments are deployed as indices for our analytical framework, using the Critical Discourse Analysis. What is apparent is that no success can be achieved in the reading and understanding of a literacy text without a manifest use of language. | | Article history
Received: October 02, 2018
Accepted: December 16, 2018
Published: February 28, 2019
Volume: 10 Issue: 1
Advance access: January 2019 | | | Conflicts of interest: None
Funding: None | | | Key words:
Linguistic,
Stylistic,
Ideological Discourse | | INTRODUCTION Contemporary scholarship of literature involves an array of theories –Marxism, socialism, hermeneutics, structuralism, psycho-analysis, feminism, post –colonialism and semiotics, Eyeh (2011:145) . Right from the classical period the cognitive value of literature and other genres of art has been a subject of intense scholarship. Aristotle, for instance, believes that imagination literature involves mimesis, imitation or representation. Similarly, Plato in The Republic gives an elaborately reasoned treatise on the general principles of organizing the Republic and the process of accomplishing it. The radical sociological perspective or the Marxian approach is also germane to this study. This perceives literature “as a weapon for fighting oppressive ideologies such as capitalism, fascism and other totalitarian hegemonic structures”, Ogunjimi (1987: 3).It is the contention of Marx that history is a record of struggles which are caused by unequal distribution of rewards in societies. All societies, he claims, are stratified because one group tries to protect its economic interest at the expense of the other groups. These classes are in conflict with one another because the “owners “(bourgeoisie) have, and want to keep a monopoly of power over the “no-owners”(the proletariat) . The attempt of the bourgeoisie at perpetuating this system is through alienation and violence. This unjust system is perpetrated through the family, the school system, religion and even the machineries of government, Oyedokun (1991:4) . The concept of revolutionary commitment in literature seeks to conceptualize the society in terms of its class structures with a view to transforming the existing soci

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the paper?

The paper aims to establish the connection between literature and ideology by analyzing how language shapes ideological discourse in Iyayi’s novels for societal transformation.

Which theoretical framework guides the analysis?

The study is anchored in Marxist literary criticism based on socialist and dialectical theories, using Critical Discourse Analysis to interpret language and meaning.

What analytical tools does the paper use?

It deploys four major literary tools—narrative technique, lexical choice, dialogue, and authorial comments—to index the analytical framework and assess ideological meaning.

Oct 15, 2026

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