Stylistics Analysis of the Novel Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar

Suhail Ahmed Solangi,

Department of English, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan

This study analyses Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar from a stylistic perspective. Stylistics involves the examination of various linguistic and figurative elements within a writer's style. This analysis focuses on the impact of unhomeliness on immigrants' personalities and the significance of culture. Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar is a fascinating exploration of diasporic identity and the issues experienced by American Muslims. Homeland Elegies is a response to Akhtar's previous work, "Disgraced," which drew unfavorable depictions of Muslims and spurred post-9/11 controversies. It deftly navigates themes of identity crisis, cultural integration, and the difficulties of living in a third space. The term emphasizes a community elegy, encapsulating numerous diasporic experiences, rather than a single story. With the help of the model of stylistic analysis proposed by Leech and Short (2007), this study aims to comprehend how these literary devices contribute to the concrete theme under study through the analysis of lexical schemes, grammar, context, cohesion, and foregrounded the ideas of ambivalence and the third space are carefully examined to pinpoint character identity problems. The author's use of the first-person point of view creates an emotional impact on readers, despite maintaining a certain level of emotional distance. This study prompts readers to contemplate issues such as identity and religion, as the author subtly evokes these topics. Akhtar's writing is praised for its cohesion and coherence, which ensures a smooth connection between paragraphs and the novel's three parts. Subsequently, Homeland Elegies stands out as a stylistically rich and thematically fascinating novel. This work is a heartbreaking picture of the immigrant experience in America because of Akhtar's literary prowess and investigation of diasporic problems.

Keywords: Stylistics, Diaspora, Homeland Elegies, Unhomeliness

 The above abstract is a part of the article which was accepted at The Ninth International Conference on Languages, Linguistics, Translation and Literature (WWW.LLLD.IR), 1-2 February 2024, Ahwaz.