Article

Name: Discourse theory in modern literary studies

Authors: Aleksei I. Silantev

Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract:

The paper deals with the aspects of applying the discourse theory in modern literary criticism. Mastering the discourse category started with understanding the theoretical heritage of M. M. Bakhtin, primarily the concepts of utterance and speech genre. The researchers use Bakhtin’s categories in combination with the pragmatic theory of discourse by T. van Dijk and the approaches of the representatives of the French school discourse analysis, particularly P. Seriot. Literary studies treat genres per se mainly in poetological terms. Meanwhile, there are noticeable tangible differences between literary genres in the communicative-pragmatic sphere, provided it is understood broadly enough as the sphere of the author-reader interaction in the aspect of a specific convention of existential meaning. Modern literary theory, particularly in the works of V. I. Tyupa, links the concepts of genre and discourse, expanding the literary genre paradigm to the pragmatic or communicative dimension of aesthetic discourse. The cultural theory of discourse has become essential for literary studies as part of the “image of discourse” problem (E. A. Surkov), the situations when a certain configuration of discourse acts as an independent aesthetic object in a literary work. Particularly important in Russian literature of the 20th century is the linguistic aspect of the “image of discourse,” allowing the narrator to be aesthetically objectified and presented as an independent discursive instance in the fiction work system.

Keywords: discourse, literary criticism, speech genre, statement, work, author

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