1. Introduction

The Death of the Moth was first published in 1942 by British writer Virginia Woolf， the founder of stream-of-consciousness writing. One day， Woolf was distracted by a little moth， which struggled before finally dying. She was intrigued by this usually unremarkable sight to contemplate death and wrote this 1152-word prose. The first three paragraphs focus on life， while the last two discuss death and life altogether， expressing both empathy and sorrow for the moth while also admiring its tenacity against the power of death. It reveals the psychological state of people living in her times， showing the confusion of a generation.

The value of stylistic analysis lies in providing learners with a means by which they can relate a literary work to their own perceptions of language and thus deepen their response[1]. The stylistic technique serves the theme of this prose on the essence of life and death issues， contributing to its aesthetic value.

This essay elaborates on 2 stylistic features that best reflects Woolf’s helplessness for death， namely， the use of definite articles and personal pronouns.

2. Stylistic Features of The Death of the Moth

The study of literary style shows that the language selection in a text is not accidental， but rather echoes the theme that the text intends to convey. As for this prose， knowledge of literary style helps analyze the language components that have prominent stylistic significance in the text. This way， readers can truly understand how stylistic means serve to deepen the theme of the prose.

2.1 The Use of the Definite Article

Reference stands for the relationship between a word and its referent. Reference is a grammatical means of expressing semantic relations and is also a major means of helping discourse achieve structural connections and semantic coherence[2]. Reference can be divided into two types： one is endophora， which refers to the reference relationship in which the referent can be found within the discourse; the other is exophora， which refers to the reference relationship in which the referent cannot be found within the discourse[3]. Endophora weighs a lot in terms of discourse coherence research. And exophora often refers to a term that both the author and the reader understand without the need for prior mention.

The appearance of the definite article the in the prose catches readers’ attention at the first sight. In the title The Death of the Moth， the first definite article the is an endophora， or in particular， a cataphora， because it is followed by the modifier of a Moth. However， the second definite article the is not endophora but refers to a single entity because the moth is neither mentioned in the previous context， nor in the following text. Therefore， what the moth referred to in the title is not just an ordinary short-lived moth but a specific moth that the author and the readers are concerned about. Psychologically， its understanding is based on the known information shared by the author and the readers， so the use of such a definite article naturally creates a sense of familiarity. Thus， the distance between the readers and the moth is ingeniously shortened， and a direct connection is established， making readers pay close attention to the fate of the moth. Through the use of definite articles in the title， instead of the usual indefinite article a， the originally insignificant moth seems to have suddenly gained a certain identity and status， and its death has become a significant event for deep contemplation.

In the first paragraph， the background items mentioned are all modified with definite articles （12 times） to further enhance their direct connection with readers. That is， the circumstances in the prose is depicted through repetition of definite articles. Woolf uses definite articles frequently to describe the scene where the event takes place， indicating that she is describing a specific life experience of herself. This language choice presupposes much known information， and readers feel immersed in the described environment. The author made great efforts to highlight the moth from the beginning， which marks the nature of life that the moth represents. To conclude， even a seemingly inconspicuous function word like an article can become profound in Woolf’s writing.

2.2 The Choice of Personal Pronouns

The prose explores the essence of life as the moth being a symbol of life itself. Throughout the text， Woolf frequently uses third person pronouns such as he， him， his， and himself （46 times altogether） to refer to the moth. This personification is to give the moth more human-like qualities， as these pronouns imbue the species with more vitality than the usual pronoun it would. The moth is no longer just an inessential insect， but acquires human emotions， willpower， and actions， which can better appeal to the reader’s empathy[4]. The moth has its own space or world， as mentioned in the prose’s reference to his square of the window-pane. This is also the focal point for the author and readers， where all of the moth’s activities take place.

At first， he is the subject of a sentence， indicating that the moth is still in control of its movement and fate. As time passes， the personal subject gradually gives way to the legs， suggesting that the moth no longer functions as a complete living organism， with its life force dwindling. Surprisingly， when Woolf describes the moth’s final successful struggle to turn over， she once again uses the personal pronoun he， which is the last greatness before the end of life. Afterwards， the body first slackens and then becomes stiff. At this point， Woolf uses the word body to refer to the moth. Finally， when Woolf describes the moth lying still with no complaint， she returns the subject to the moth itself.

Moreover， Woolf is eager to expand her own experience to readers’， deliberately changing the first person pronoun I into words like us， one， and the eyes that have a more universal referential meaning. Woolf seems to be stating that everything she sees is what the readers see as well， so the readers become involved and concerned with the moth’s fate.

3. The Contribution of the Stylistic Interpretation

A close examination of stylistic features of a text can make readers gain insight into the author’s intent and the underlying themes of the work.

Woolf lived in an age when capitalist crises and social turmoil prevail， and people’s lives were restless and uncertain. Many writers were deeply confused about themselves， humanity， and the meaning of life. The Death of the Moth reflects this common state of mind. Woolf witnesses the process of a living creature from life to death. Her attitude was initially indifferent， but later she shows sympathy for the weak life of the moth and admiration for its tenacious struggle.

The language choice of literary works is not random， but always serves the theme. Hence， interpreting the literary style can add some credible objective elements to reveal the thematic meanings of the prose， making the subjective feelings as objective as possible.

All in all， the frequently appeared definite articles and personal pronouns stress the importance of moth， hence the importance of life. Not exhaustive though it is， this essay has provided enough evidence that Woolf employs stylistic strategies to effectively illustrate the essence of life and death through the dying of a little moth.

References

[1]Widdowson， H. （1995） . Discourse Analysis： A Critical View. Language and Literature.

[2]Qian， Y. （2006）. Stylistics： A Coursebook for Chinese EFL Students. Beijing： Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

[3]QIN Xiu-bai. （2002）. Essentials of English Stylistics. Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.

[4]CAO Xiao-ling. （2014）. Figures of Speech in Virginia Woolf’s the Death of the Moth. Journal of Eastern Liaodong University （Social Sciences）.