Phonographic and graphostylistic mechanisms of creating linguistic absurdity in postmodern fiction

Abstract

This article explores the phonographic and graphostylistic mechanisms employed by postmodern authors to create linguistic absurdity in fiction, using phonetic and graphic variants. The analysis focuses on violations of phonetic and graphic norms that deviate from traditional literary conventions. At the phonographic level, the mechanisms for creating linguistic absurdity include sound imitation, alliteration, assonance, phonetic language play, and phonetic occasionalisms. These techniques result in unusual combinations of phonemes that contrast with accepted, stereotypical sound patterns. This generates a
cacophony of strange sounds that violates the euphony of language, thereby creating an “estrangement effect”. Specific examples are provided to demonstrate how postmodern fiction utilizes absurd sound imitations, such as nonsensical words mimicking animal noises or physiological functions. Alliteration and assonance are used to reproduce unpleasant sounds typically avoided in traditional texts as those violating aesthetic norms. Phonetic
occasionalisms open up diverse palettes of new, unregistered sound combinations for the reader. The graphostylistic mechanisms examined involve violating graphic norms through techniques, such as excessive variation of fonts, capitalization, and non-punctuated text organization. Textual visualization that disrupts typical graphic conventions is achieved through extra spacing between words/lines, unconventional paragraph divisions, inserted curly lines, and embedded text fragments in different styles. There is also an excessive accumulation of non-verbal graphics, such as drawings, diagrams, formulas, and symbols from other semiotic systems. Orthographic deformations, including reduplication, hyphenation, and author-created graphons (new graphic units) also contribute to the absurdist effect. Detailed examples illustrate how the accumulation of these phonographic and graphostylistic deviations generates graphic chaos that impairs readability. However, the article argues this is an intentional strategy by postmodern writers to create an absurdist literary experience that rejects conventions and engages the reader in exploring multiple possible interpretations of the fragmented, unconventional text.