Topic 3 (session B) - Patterns, Deviations, Style and Meaning > Extended parallelism: non-literary examples

Extended parallelism: non-literary examples

In looking at parallelism so far we have concentrated on examples where the parallels are between two structures. But it is not uncommon to find examples where the parallelisms go on longer, for three, four or more 'turns'. This extra length adds more possibilities and effects to the 'parallelism processing rule' we have noted before. For example, a sequence of three items is the smallest set which can produce the effect of climax:

So we can add climax to the parallelistic repertoire. Moreover, once you have two parallelisms you have the beginning of a pattern. And once you have a pattern you can break that pattern, producing the effect of internal deviation (and so more foregrounding).

This setting up of a pattern and then breaking it means that parallelism can also be involved in effects where a later, climactic, item contrasts with the other items in the set of parallelisms.

We will explore these ideas with a couple of jokes and an excerpt from a famous political speech:

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