This article aims to suggest a procedure of analyzing fantasy text characters focusing on their evaluative component. The said procedure is based on the methodology of cognitive linguistics, namely the basic frames theory. Basic frames are schematic mental structures that form the backbone of our informational system. The frames consist of propositional schemas containing static and dynamic characteristics of a character under scrutiny. The empirical data of the research are represented by descriptions of characters in a series prototypical for fantasy genre – legendarium by J. R.R. Tolkien which includes the novels The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. In his books, the writer created not only an alternative universe with its geography and mythology but also versatile characters who belong to different “races” – Elves, Men, Hobbits, Dwarves, Ents, and Orcs. The race affiliation of a protagonist exposes his/her peculiar traits of character, worldview, and way of life making it easier for the writer to describe them. So analyzing the evaluation of characters one should take into consideration both common features shared by all representatives of a race portraying it as a homogeneous entity – eidos (a holistic non-segmented image) and unique individual features of the protagonist – logos (an image where its constituents are singled out). Consequently, the evaluation of a character may be mathematically represented as a summary coefficient equal to the ratio of logical and eidetic coefficients. The former is calculated as the ratio of positive and negative propositions describing the personal qualities of a protagonist, the latter is the ratio of positive and negative propositions describing the race to which the character belongs. The article contains a detailed analysis of the six races of Tolkien’s legendarium and two representatives of each race which enabled to outline their generalized portraits and determine summary evaluations which makes it clear that some characters are “better” and some are “worse” than average representatives of their race.
The article aims to forward a model for analyzing the evaluative component of controversial literary characters. This model presupposes the application of the basic tenets of the possible worlds theory to the analysis of a fiction text, combining it with the methodology of cognitive and quantitative linguistics. To exemplify the employment of the developed model, the image of Louis XI, the King of France, depicted by W. Scott in his novel Quentin Durward, was analyzed. Portrayed as an astute politician, this protagonist puts on different guises and plays numerous roles while the plot unravels, trying to achieve his goals and influence the people around him. Such roles are viewed in the article as possible worlds of Louis XI. In these worlds, he is described through various positive and negative characteristics, which are considered predicates of basic propositional schemas featuring in semantics of lingual networks. To fathom the importance and ubiquity of the characteristics, two indices used in quantitative linguistics (coverage rate and mean frequency) were employed. Such a complex approach enabled to reveal the existence of 15 possible worlds of Louis XI in the novel. Two-thirds of them are primary possible worlds created via direct description of the image by the author, and one-third is secondary possible worlds, where the King is depicted indirectly by presenting the vantage point of other characters who appraise Louis and express their attitude to him. The most important characteristics of Louis emphasized by the author and featuring in the maximum number of his possible world create a portrait of a skillful medieval monarch. Being sly, he hypocritically conceals his true cruel and mercenary aspirations and generally succeeds in presenting himself to others as a devout Christian and wise ruler acting for the benefit of his subjects, which is vindicated by the prevalence of his positively charged descriptions. Thus, the image created by W. Scott in his novel lives up to the reputation of Universal Spider—the symptomatic nickname that this historical figure earned from his contemporaries.
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