Abstract
In David, the interplay between parataxis and hypotaxis is complex and multilayered. In addition, triplets, i.e., series of three items, occur frequently throughout the poem. These may include three conjoined items (e.g., Heard and spoke to Saul and then departed.), three items in a list (e.g., majesty, pride, quick remorse), or even three items with something in common (e.g., three italicized extracts from 1 Samuel 26). What becomes obvious about most of the triplets is that one member stands out as distinctive from the other two which are more alike.
The contents of this chapter also appeared in ‘Thumboo’s David’ (Webster 2001), ‘SFL and the Study of Literature’ (Lukin and Webster 2005), and ‘Meaning making poetry: Words alone are certain good’ (Webster 2006, 2009a, b).
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References
Lukin A, Webster, JJ (2005) SFL and the study of literature. In: Hasan R, Matthiessen CMIM (eds) Continuing discourse on language: a functional perspective, vol 1. Equinox, London, pp 413–456
Webster JJ (2001) Thumboo’s David. In: Kiong TC et al (eds) Ariels: departures and returns: essays for Edwin Thumboo. Oxford University Press, Singapore, pp 75–88
Webster, JJ (2006) Meaning-making poetry: words alone are certain good. World Englishes 25(3/4):329–358. (Blackwell)
Webster JJ (ed) (2009a) Essays on Edwin Thumboo. Ethos Books, Singapore
Webster JJ (2009b) Return to origins: the poet and the Tao–Edwin Thumboo’s ‘Uncle Never Knew’. Ethos Books, Singapore. (Published in conjunction with the President’s Command Performance, April 2009)
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Webster, J. (2015). David. In: Understanding Verbal Art. The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55019-5_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55019-5_4
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