A FOREGROUNDING ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE AND THEME IN RICHARD CORNELL’S THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

Abstract

This study provides a stylistic analysis of Richard Connell’s short story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ through the framework of Foregrounding Theory, initially introduced by Jan Mukařovský (1964) and subsequently developed by Geoffrey Leech (1969). The study examines the roles of linguistic deviation and parallelism as principal foregrounding mechanisms that facilitate the development of the narrative's core themes—violence, morality, and the survival instinct. The analysis shows how stylistic choices can make readers more interested and highlight thematic tensions by finding and classifying examples of lexical, syntactic, phonological, and semantic deviations, as well as patterns of repetition and structural parallelism. The results show that Connell's use of language not only builds suspense and emotional intensity, but also pushes the limits of traditional morality, making readers think about the difference between civilization and savagery. This study validates the significance of Foregrounding Theory in enhancing literary interpretation and offers perspectives for forthcoming research in stylistics, comparative literature, and literary pedagogy.