Litotes as a way of displaying of individual author’s style (on the material of the poetry of A. Fet)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the investigation and comparison of different definitions of the stylistic device of litotes aiming at outlining the interrelation between the two main explanations, not always exactly fitting each other. The study of the functioning of figurative means of language is related to the concepts of communicative conditioning and communicative intention. The study of the communicative conditioning of the appearance and functioning of the figurative means of language contributes to a deeper understanding of the peculiarities of intercultural communication. The article provides a definition of the concept of «litotes». The research aims to consider the litotes as a way of displaying the individual author’s style of A. Fet. The problematic nature of litotes studies is caused by the complexity and multidimensional nature of the concept itself. A litote is a figurative expression, a stylistic figure, a turnover, which contains an artistic understatement of the size, strength of the meaning of the depicted object or phenomenon. At the first stage of the study, a review of the scientific literature on the research topic was carried out, highlighting the main scientific concepts of modern researchers. At the second stage, the features and typical characteristics of epithets in the poetic texts of A. Fet are analyzed and revealed. Litotes is a trope that has the meaning of understatement or deliberate mitigation. The article presents different points of view on the essence of litotes as a stylistic figure, identifies decisive factors in creating litotes, reveals the features of using litotes as a specific means of poetic language, describes the functions of litotes as a specific means of poetic language, analyzed and typologized constructions using litotes that form the individual author’s style of A. Fet. A classification of litots according to the manner of their expression is proposed.