The emergence of the concept of stylistics in the West is linked to the research conducted in the field of linguistics. The linguistic renaissance in the West contributed to the rise of what was called philology, or the study of language, which is now often referred to as “comparative philology.” This field focuses on the study of Greek and Latin languages, including their grammar, literary history, and textual criticism.
However, these linguistic studies, which were an integral part of ancient philosophical thought, did not create their own methodology and considered language only within the context of logic and metaphysics. Consequently, they lacked a scientific perspective and were not directly related to the language itself. Their sole objective was to establish rules distinguishing correct from incorrect forms, making them normative studies that strayed far from accurate observation of facts and had a limited, narrow scope. This was because philologists were primarily concerned with correcting, explaining, and commenting on written texts.
In the subsequent period, a new spirit was infused into linguistic studies following the discovery of Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Indians. In 1816, Franz Bopp published a book titled “On the Conjugational System of the Sanskrit Language,” in which he compared Sanskrit with German, Greek, Latin, and other languages, highlighting their similarities and common origin.
This study clarified many issues in the study of other languages and their comparison, laying the foundation for what became known as comparative linguistics. This development continued until Ferdinand de Saussure established modern linguistics. In this historical linguistic context, this article aims to trace the development of stylistics in Western criticism, organized into various sections and topics