TACTICS OF CHARACTERIZATION OF LEO TOLSTOY IN THE DIARIES OF SOPHIA TOLSTAYA

Abstract

The article considers Leo Tolstoy's identification tactics reflected in his wife Sophia's diaries for the period from 1862 to 1900. The aim has been achieved by using methods and techniques of continuous sampling of statements characterizing L. Tolstoy, discursive and pragmatic analysis, and propositional function. The paper establishes that reflections about the husband are the ones of the key topics in Sophia Tolstaya's diary. The analysis of the entries has revealed the following characterization tactics: high positive assessment of her husband's qualities, recognition of his exceptionalism; low assessment of his economic acumen; affirmation of Leo Tolstoy's efficiency, persistence, diligence as a writer, description of him as a man whose words do not meet the actions; as a man indifferent to his wife and family; as a self-serving, selfish, pragmatic man; inconsistent, contradictory, unstable, with rapidly changing moods; as a lover, a male; as an ambitious person. Sophia Andreyevna does not perceive him as a kindred spirit. She believes that she is interesting to her husband as a woman and as a meticulous performer of various tasks.

Extended abstract:

This article examines the tactics of Leo Tolstoy's identification as reflected in the diaries of his wife, Sophia Tolstoy, from 1862 to 1900. The aim of the study is achieved through the use of solid sampling methods and techniques, including discursive and pragmatic analysis and propositional function. The relevance of this research lies in the fact that Sophia Tolstoy's diaries have yet to receive proper scientific comprehension. The study reveals that characterization is carried out using feature grammatical semantics expressed by various parts of speech, including nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and state words. Characterization is closely related to evaluation. The tactic of characterization is understood as the use of a proposition in which a description of an object is given: X is the carrier of an identifying feature. The analysis of the records shows that reflections about her husband are one of the key themes of Sophia Tolstoy's diary. The study identifies several tactics of characterization, including high positive assessment of his qualities, recognition of his husband's exceptionalism, low assessment of his economic acumen, affirmation of his husband's efficiency, persistence, and writerly diligence, qualification as a man whose word is at odds with deed, or more precisely, as a man who lives two lives. The study also reveals that Sophia Andreyevna does not perceive her husband as a spiritually related person and that she believes that she is interested in him as a woman and as a meticulous performer of various tasks. The analyzed characteristic statements reflect the woman's reflection on male dominance, resentment at her husband's coldness, disappointment from expectations, understanding of the discrepancy between the ideal and the real man. The study determines that the characterizing propositions have a dynamic character. The highlighted aspects of the characterization of Lev Nikolaevich as a spouse allow us to reconstruct Sophia Andreevna's ideas about the ideal husband: he should be attentive to his wife and children, family should be a priority value for him, and he should be friendly to everyone.