Colloquial and everyday phraseological units in Saltykov-Shchedrin's prose
In the arsenal of artistic and visual means of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, colloquial and everyday phraseological units occupy a large place. The writer's extensive use of colloquial vocabulary, primarily stable phrases, was determined by the expressiveness of folk expressions, their colorfulness and imagery.
Creatively developing the traditions of N. V. Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin turns to folk speech as an inexhaustible source of accuracy, accuracy and colorfulness of the language. Semantic ambiguity, increased expressiveness and figurativeness of phraseological units helped the author of "Mr. Golovlevs" to express his attitude to the depicted with the greatest force: love for the people and hatred for those who parasitize at their expense.
Constant faith in the people did not prevent Saltykov-Shchedrin from angrily ridiculing its negative aspects, which led to a one-sided interpretation of the great writer's artistic talent as exclusively satirical. The works of Saltykov-Shchedrin, which poetize the high moral character traits of a Russian person (religiosity, compassion for the disadvantaged, kindness, etc.), were hushed up by critics. Meanwhile, the positive characters of the writer are representatives of the working people. Their souls are wide open to goodness, truth, and light.
Shchedrin uses words and phrases of lively folk speech when describing characters, their environment, and in journalistic arguments about what is described. For example, "The second story of the chief clerk "from the series" Provincial Essays", which opened the chronicle of Russian public life created by the writer, begins with the words: "But we had a mayor (...) truly a footed goose... " And more: "Our superiors all had a great attachment to him, because, in fact, he did not go out of his will and did everything exactly: go, he says, into the mud - he goes into the mud, if he finds an opportunity, he will pull a ...
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