Journal archive

Abstract: Research into axiological continuum of national culture includes a study of its values and anti-values typical of a certain historical period. Anti-values are a dynamic category, their textual representation is greatly influenced by a number of cultural and literary factors. The given research aims at defining peculiarities of enmity as a key anti-value of imagological sphere of Old English literature. It is argued that linguostylistic, plot — and — story, pragmatic, contextual and conceptual analyses constitute a methodological basis for the current research. Enmity as a cultural concept is represented by an image of enemy in VIIIth — XIth century English literature. Enemy is a complex image that constitutes three imagological types: mythological monster, enemy of Christianity, real-life enemy. Each of these types is marked by a specific genre nature. Their stylistic coloring is negative, verbal tropes are a means to reveal it. Speech portrait of the image is constituted by negative communicative genres: menace, reproach, direct negative order. A didactic component of Christian picture of the world predetermines a genre of self-accusation (self-verdict). Cultural values are reconstructed at the conceptual level of image analysis. Old English enemy is associated with anti-value concepts of mythological, heroic and Christian pictures of the world. The latter ones are prevalent. Inner state of the enemy is marked by negative emotions, a key emotion is fear. Its associative coloring emphasizes its anti-value nature: contextual relations tie fear with concepts of hell, monster, sin. The research concludes that an image of the enemy may be defined as an attempt of Old English mentality to comprehend a hostile world which surrounded ancient people. A complex analysis contributes to providing multi-faceted characteristics of the enemy, reconstruct its axiological highlights and describe a mechanism of their transformation in conceptual space of the enemy