A proverb in the semantic macrostructure of a fictional text (based on the story «Mitya’s Love» by I.Bunin)


The paper analyzes the way the meaning of proverbs is actualized by means of a cognitive-discursive model (hereinafter CDM) in the text of fiction where it fulfils its pragmatic functions and enables to realize different communicative strategies. Due to their generalized meaning, proverbs are included into the semantic macrostructure of text as its component. The notion of macrostructure helps to describe the global sense and cohesion of text / discourse. Macrostructures consist of macro-propositions which are derived from sentences of the text by means of omission, generalization, and construction. Proverbs possess generalized meanings and give, explicitly or implicitly, advice and recommendations. They are traditionally used in the text of fiction to emphasize the main topics and ideas, to characterize personages and situations, to convey attitudes, to reveal concealed meanings, and add accents. The analysis is based on the story “Mitya’s Love” by I.A.Bunin and proves that the proverb conveys the main idea and the message of the story as it is a component of the semantic structure of the fictional text.

Key words: 

proverb, fictional text, communicative strategy, semantic macrostructure of the text.

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