The Representation of Mystical Ideology in Christina Rossetti’s “Sweet Death”

Abstract

Taking the critical premise that no type of discourse is ideology-free, the current research paper aims at exploring the way mystical ideology is being represented in Christina Rossetti’s “Sweet Death”. The research adopts an eclectic model of analysis that is based, for the most part, on Jefferies’ model of Critical Stylistics (2010) and its ten textual-conceptual functions. It also uses, to a lesser extent, Jefferies’ model of Textual Stylistics (2022), whereby the textual-conceptual function of evoking is employed to show how the poetic aspects of the text can contribute to the overall ideological representation. After laying out the theoretical background of the research and analyzing the data first qualitatively and then quantitatively, the research came to the conclusion that there is a noticeable amount of discrepancy in the use of the different functions, with naming and describing, representing processes, representing time, space and society and alluding as the most highly used functions compared to the others. The research also shows that the representation of mystical ideology seems to be a choice governed entirely by the poetess theological belief as she reiterates her faith and personal belief using a variety of religion-related themes. Finally, the analysis reveals that the model of analysis covers all the linguistic aspects of the text, which, on its turn, can insure that the ideological stance of the text’s producer can be unveiled in an objective manner.