The role of the stylistic device of personification in the structure of the English text

Earlier we cited the classification of personification into predicate and attributive. Both these types of the analyzed stylistic devices are observed in short stories of O. Wilde.
Predicate personification takes place when the objects of personification are predicates, or verbs functioning as predicates.
The examples of predicate personification are observed in every short story analyzed in the present research.
For example:
Flowers and summer-resort agents were blowing; the air and answers to Lawson were growing milder; hand-organs, fountains and pinochle were playing everywhere (Between Rounds).
In this case the subject of personification is the noun “agent” denoting a human being of the definite profession. The object of personification is the verb “blow” functioning as predicate in the presented example. The verb “blow” denotes the meaning: to be moved by the wind, somebody’s breath, etc. The homogenous part “flowers” shows that this verb is used in humorouos way to create some incongruous subject and predicate.
"Dillingham" looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D (The Gift of the Magi).
The subject of personification in this case is the word “Dillingham” which is the surname of characters: husband and wife. The letters written on the door take all the abilities of human beings, mostly the ability to think - to use the brain to decide to do something. The aim of personification in the present example is to add expressiveness and a little humour to the short story.
She was surrounded by beautiful things that breathed of taste and refinement (The Trimmed Lamp).
In this case the subject of personification is inanimate object “things”- clothes and possessions. The appearance of the verb “breath” related to human beings or animals represents the analyzed stylistic devices. Its function is poetic and expressive.
He had tried to bribe Time to turn backward for himself; he had—been made a fool of. At last he had seen his folly (The Indian Summer of Dry Valley, Johnson).
The subject of this personification is an abstract notion “time” denoting minutes/hours/years, etc. This abstract notion gets the abilities of human beings due to the existence of the verb “bribe” in this sentence. This verb has the meaning to try to make someone do something. According to the meaning of the verb, an abstract notion of time is represented in the short story of O. Wilde as an ordinary human being.
The next structural type of personification is attributive personification. In case of this type of the analyzed stylistic device the object of personification is presented as an adjective specifying some nouns.
Attributive type of personification is not vey frequent. It is observed in such short stories as “The Last Leaf”, “The Indian Summer of Dry Valley, Johnson”, “Between Rounds” and “The Gift of the Magi”.
For example:
There she turned again and grilled Dry Valley Johnson once more in the dark flame of her audacious eyes, laughed a trifle school-girlishly, and twisted herself with pantherish quickness between the pickets to the O'Brien side of the wild gourd vine (The Indian Summer of Dry Valley, Johnson).
Personification consists in the usage of the adjective “pantherish” (peculiar for panther) with the abstract noun “quickness”. Such device helps the writer to represent the main feature of the female characters of the story “Indian”.
A mite of a little woman with blood thinned by California zephyrs was hardly fair game for the red-fisted, short-breathed old duffer (The Last Leaf).
In this case the objects of personification are adjective “red-fisted” (with red fists) and short-breathed (with short breathe). Such notions as fist and breath are the feature of alive creatures (human beings or even animals). But in the given example these adjectives are used in order to describe the main inanimate character of the story “leaf” – Pneumonia. As we have already said, the image of the illness is created by O. Wilde with the help of numerous personifications in order to show it as a real person.
Except them, there are two more structural types of personification in O. Wilde’s short stories.
One of them is the usage of noun in the function of stylistic device of personification:
Mr. Pneumonia was not what you would call a chivalric old gentleman (The Last Leaf).
In the given example we can observe even two nouns performing the function of personification. First of all, personification is constructed with the hellp of shortening “Mr.” (from “Mister”). It is the traditional vocative towards human being of the male kind. This shortening concerns the same Pneumonia – illness represented as a human being. The second noun “gentleman” is also used with the aim to describe the image of personified illness.
The fourth type of personification according to its structure is adverbial personification:
Still dark green near its stem, but with its serrated edges tinted with the yellow of dissolution and decay, it hung bravely from a branch some twenty feet above the ground (The Last Leaf).
The object of personification is in this case an adverb “bravely” that has the following meaning: in a way that shows courage. Such quality as courage and bravery refers only to human beings. But in the short story “Leaf” this quality is given to a leaf hanging in the tree. The purpose of such personification is to add figurativeness to the narration.
The percentage is shown in Picture 2.
Picture 2 – Structural types of personification in the short stories of O. Wilde

According to the results of quantitative analysis, most frequent structure of personification is the usage of a noun (subject and object) – 53,8%. The second place is occupied in short stories of O. Wilde by predicative personification (32,7%). Attributive personification is used in 11,5 %. And adverbial personification is used only once (2%).








Conclusions to chapter 2

The second chapter of the present research was devoted to the investigation of personification as a means of image expression in belles-lettres text. In this chapter we have analyzed personification as a stylistic device based on the transference of meaning of linguistic units, as a means of creating expressiveness and literary image in fiction. Here we also conducted the analysis of personification examples used in the short stories of O. Wilde.
Considering a stylistic device, personification consists of a subject (a personified word denoting a compared notion) and an object (metaphorical words in the thematic group of alive beings). In semantic aspect personification is usually divided into anthropomorphous and zoomorphous types. Structural classification reveals its predicate and attributive types.
Considering a means of creating expressiveness and literary image in fiction, personification is strictly deviant. It is used often in mythological content, in idioms and proverbs. In fiction personification is used with the aim to create expressiveness, to make make literary images, to express emotions, to represent images and to describe nature.
During the analysis of O. Wilde 's short stories we reveal the frequent usage of anthropomorphous personification (38,5%). Embodiment is also very frequent (32,7%). Anthropomorphous-zoomorphous personification used rarely (21,2%), and purely zoomorphous personification - only in 7,6% of cases. In structural aspect personification used by O. Wilde are represented in the structure of a noun (53,8%), predicate (32,7%), attributive (11,5) or every adverb (2%). The functions performed by personification in O. Wilde 's short stories are:
1) expressive function;
2) figurative function;
3) emotional function;
4) poetic function;
5) function of creating images;
6) function of showing the plot;
7) humorous function.




























Conclusion

The aim of the present research was to examine the role of the stylistic devices of personification in the structure of the English text. In order to achieve this aim, the following tasks are solved: the essence of linguistic norm and deviation from the norm are examined; classifications of expressive means and stylistic devices of the English language are cited; personification as a stylistic device based on the transference of meaning of linguistic units and as a means of creating expressiveness and literary image in fiction is characterized; an analysis of personification examples used in O. Wilde’s short stories is held.
Linguistic norm is defined in the present research as a standard of language. The usage of stylistic devices is most often an example of deviation from these norms. Stylistic effect appears only on the basis of deviations from linguistic norms.
Stylistic devices are the best representatives of deviation of linguistic norms such as phonetic, lexical, syntactical and their norms. Accordingly, stylistic devices and expressive means are subdivided into phonetic, lexical, syntactical, phraseological, graphical stylistic devices.
Personification is observed within the row of lexical stylistic devices. It is defined as the stylistic device consisting in giving the attributes of a human being to an inanimate object. It consists of a personified word (subject) and metaphorical words (objects).
On the material of O. Wilde’s short stories, we analyzed personification as a stylistic devices based on the transference of meaning of linguistic units and as a mean of creating expressiveness and literary image in fiction.
In the first aspect personification is analyzed according to its semantic and structural types. Semantic types are represented by anthropomorphous, zoomorphous and both personification. We have also examined embodiment as a type of personification used in O. Wilde 's short stories. In structural aspect the object of personification is most frequently a noun and a predicate. Sometimes the subject of personification is represented by attributes of adverbs.
The main functions of personifications revealed in the analysis of O. Wilde's short stories are expressive, poetic, figurative, emotional, poetic functions, also function of creating an image and representation of a plot.

























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