The first competition of our educational competitive series "Paths" will be dedicated to Epithet. What is it - we have already met in the introductory article. In this one, we will once again recall the features of the epithet and consider how poets use this expressive means.

1. What is an epithet?

In a general sense, an epithete is a word that figuratively defines an object, phenomenon or action and emphasizes in them some characteristic property, quality. As part of a sentence, epithets are often definitions, and not every definition is an epithet, but an epithet is not always just a definition in a sentence: it can be both subject, object, and appeal.

An epithet is an artistic and figurative definition that emphasizes the most significant feature of an object or phenomenon in a given context.

2. What parts of speech express the epithet?

The epithet can be expressed by an adjective ("crystal air"), an adverb ("hotly love", "quietly hate"), a participle ("wandering evening"), a participle ("playing hide and seek, heaven descends"), a numeral ("second life ", "fifth wheel"), a noun ("fun noise") and even a verb. M. Isakovsky: "And such a month in heaven, at least pick up needles" - almost the entire sentence is an epithet. epithets can be expressed different parts speech. This is a word or a whole expression, which, due to its structure and special function in the text, acquires some new meaning or semantic connotation, highlighting individual, unique features in the image object and thereby forcing this object to be evaluated from an unusual point of view. Performing this function, the epithet acts as a pictorial device and gives the text a certain expressive tone.

For example, the phrase “winged swing” contains the epithet “winged”, which helps the reader to imagine the swing not just as a piece of iron moving back and forth, but as a kind of bird floating in the air. In order for a simple adjective to become an epithet, it must be “rewarded” with a deep meaning, while having a figurative imagination. An epithet is not just a definition denoting some sign, quality of an object ("wooden stick"), but its figurative characteristic ("WOODEN facial expression"). So "quiet voice" is not an epithet, but "BRIGHT voice" is an epithet , because BRIGHT here is used in a figurative sense, or: "warm hands" is not an epithet, but "GOLDEN hands" is an epithet.

Adjectives that indicate the distinctive features of objects, but also do not give their figurative characteristics, should not be classified as epithets. When adjectives perform only a semantic function, unlike epithets, they are called logical definitions: "The balls hanging from the lanterns lit early gnash..." (A. Akhmatova)

REMEMBER: In the epithet, the word is ALWAYS USED IN A PORTABLE MEANING

3. Examples of epithets in poetry

Some examples of epithets:

Ruddy dawn.
Angel light.
Quick thoughts.
Crane man.
Easy reading.
Golden man.
Computer man.
Great evening.
Singing fire.

Consider the use of epithets by famous writers (epithets are in capital letters):

“All around the grass bloomed so FUN” (I. Turgenev).
"What if I, BEWARE, come home HUMILATED, can you forgive me?" (Alexander Blok).
"IN SAUCERS - GLASSES of lifebuoys" (V. Mayakovsky).
“Ghostly reigns” (I. Brodsky).
"Sneak, PLAYING HIDE AND HIDE, the sky is descending" (B. Pasternak)

Description of autumn in a poem by F. Tyutchev:

"There are in the autumn of the original
A short but WONDERFUL time -
The whole day stands as if CRYSTAL,
AND RADIANT evenings...
Where the BRILLIANT sickle walked and the ear fell,
Now everything is empty - space is everywhere, -
Only cobwebs THIN HAIR
Shines on the IDLING furrow .. ".

In this passage, even such seemingly ordinary, subject definitions as “short time”, “thin hair”, can also be considered epithets that convey Tyutchev’s emotional perception of early autumn.

Description of the evening in a poem by Afanasy Fet:

“In the evening so GOLDEN and CLEAR,
In this breath of the ALL-VICTORIOUS spring
Do not remember me, O my BEAUTIFUL friend,
You are about our timid and poor love.

4. Why do we need epithets?

We use epithets at every step. For example, when characterizing a child, we say that he is SMILE. Or LIGHT (that is, kind). Or LIVE (that is, mobile). The word bright is used in a figurative sense. We associate goodness with light, so a kind child turns into a bright child. We say that the sky is BLUE or that the air is FRESH. And if you ate something wrong, your whole face is GREEN. All these adjectives will be epithets. Let's take a more abstract example. FLAME speech. That is, speech like a flame. This speech burns just like a flame. GRAY wave. That is, a white wave. Gray color is white. Hence the association.

So what is an epithet? An epithet is an artistic definition emphasizing the MOST ESSENTIAL FEATURE of an OBJECT OR PHENOMENON.

Epithets are especially important in poetic descriptions, because they do not just fix the objective properties of objects and phenomena. Their main goal is to express the POET'S ATTITUDE TO WHAT HE WRITES ABOUT. The use of epithets allows you to significantly diversify the text, especially when describing. And in a poem where every word is important, a whole sentence can be replaced with one successful epithet.

Epithets, unlike conventional definitions, always reflect the individuality of the author. Finding a successful, vivid epithet for a poet or prose writer means accurately defining your own unique, unique view of an object, phenomenon, or person.

The stylistic approach to the study of epithets makes it possible to distinguish three groups in their composition (Between which it is not always possible to draw a clear boundary!).

1. Reinforcing epithets that indicate the feature contained in the word being defined; tautological epithets also belong to amplifying epithets. ("... In the snowy branches of BLACK jackdaws, BLACK jackdaws shelter").

2. Clarifying epithets that name the distinguishing features of the subject (insomnia-NURSE).

3. Contrasting epithets that form combinations of words opposite in meaning with the nouns being defined ("Leningraders, LIVE WITH THE DEAD ..."

Other groupings of epithets are also possible. This indicates that the concept of epithet combines very diverse lexical means of figurativeness.

5. Established epithets

There is such a thing as STEADY EPITHET. This is such an epithet that tightly “stuck” to the word and is associated exclusively with it. A red maiden, an open field, a broad soul, a good horse, a bright head, green land ... All these epithets are erased, settled. They are not even perceived as epithets. IN POETIC SPEECH IT IS BETTER TO AVOID THESE DEFINITIONS. Look for bright, unusual epithets that will amaze the reader, evoke in him a whole stream of associations and feelings: “Crimson ringing” (Tolstoy), “Innocent slander” (Pushkin), “Marble Grotto” (Gumilyov) ...

Permanent epithets indicate a typical, permanent attribute of an object. They often do not take into account the situation in which this sign manifests itself: after all, the sea is not always “blue”, and the horse is not always “kind”. However, for a singer or storyteller, semantic contradictions are not a hindrance. In folk poetry, which is alien to personal authorship, constant epithets are widespread: “good-natured warrior”, “beautiful girl”, “blue sea”, “silk stirrup”, “straight road”, “good horse”, “black clouds”, “clear field " etc.

In the works of writers based on the traditions of oral folk art, constant epithets are necessarily used. There are many of them in the poems of M.Yu. Lermontov “The Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov” and N.A. Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Russia”, in the poems of Nekrasov, Yesenin. Lermontov is especially consistent in the use of constant epithets; they can be found in almost every line of his poem:

"Above the GREAT Moscow, GOLD-DOME,
Over the wall of the Kremlin WHITE STONE
Because of the FAR forests, because of the BLUE mountains,
Effortlessly on the TESOV roofs,
Clouds GRAY dispersing,
The dawn of ALAYA is rising..."

6. Misuse of epithets

In Homer, one can find a number of extremely complex epithets, which in form are adjectives with two roots: helmet-shining Hector, owl-eyed Athena, swift-footed Achilles, legged Achaeans ... At the same time, Homeric epithets are stable, attached to a specific hero. That is, Hector is always HELMET-SHINE, even if he does not wear a helmet, and Achilles is always FAST-LEGED, even if he sleeps.

From a modern point of view, this is a mistake. EPITHETS YOU USE MUST BE AT THE PLACE AND TIME. And, of course, they must be REALISTIC. Still, probably, “green lightning” and “fast-winged flies” do not exist.

7. The use of epithets in the lyrics of Anna Akhmatova

In addition to what has been said, let's consider examples of the use of epithets (or rather, NOT ONLY EPITHETS, BUT HER CHARACTERISTIC TROPES) in Anna Akhmatova's lyrics.

ATTENTION:

(Competitors - please do not confuse tropes with an epithet, an epithet is one of the types of numerous tropes !!!)

A) Colorful definitions expressed by adjectives:

"I am deceived by my SAD, CHANGEABLE, EVIL FATE."
"THE MUDDY lantern turned blue and showed me the way."

B) Adjectives-epithets that play the role of subject, object, treatment:

"You prophesy, BITTER, and you dropped your hands..."

C) Epithets - actions.

Most epithets characterize objects, but there are also those that figuratively describe actions. At the same time, if the action is indicated by a verbal noun, the epithet is expressed by an adjective (memory is a FURIOUS, STRESSED groan), but if the action is called a verb, then the epithet can be an adverb that acts as a circumstance ("I am BITTERLY excited", "I rang and sang POISONLY") . As epithets, nouns can also be used, playing the role of applications, predicates, giving a figurative description of the subject: "I am YOUR VOICE, THE HEAT OF YOUR BREATH, I am THE REFLECTION OF YOUR FACE".

D) zoomorphic epithets.

Endowing objects, experiences, natural phenomena with those qualities that are inherent directly in animals: "These are your LYNX eyes, Asia, they saw something in me, teased something and latent ..."

Akhmatova almost never explains, she shows. This is also achieved by the choice of images, very thoughtful and original, but most importantly - their detailed development. Comparing love with the world of animals, she writes: "Now a SNAKE, curled up in a ball, conjures at the very heart, then all day long DOVE COOS on a white window." Or: "In a white field, I became a quiet girl, I call love with a BIRD'S VOICE." In the work of A. Akhmatova, "bird" means many things: poetry, a state of mind, God's messenger. A bird is always the personification of a free life, in cages we see a miserable likeness of birds, without seeing them soaring in the sky. It is the same in the fate of the poet: the true inner world is reflected in the poems created by a free creator.

"There is a crimson sun over the shaggy gray smoke" (cf. shaggy bear);
"And that the FURIOUS memory torments ..." (cf. a furious wolf);
"We wanted the torment of a STINGING…" (cf. a stinging wasp);
"The smell of gasoline and lilacs, ALARMED peace ..." (cf. alerted beast).

D) Color epithet

Every second poem by A. Akhmatova has at least one color epithet in its composition. Everyone knows that colors affect our thinking and feelings. They become symbols, serve as warning signals, make us happy, sad, shape our mentality and influence our speech. There are a lot of color definitions in her poems, and most often - for yellow and gray, still the rarest in poetry: "I see a faded flag over the customs and over the city YELLOW dregs", "Poems grow without shame, like a YELLOW dandelion near a fence ". In addition to the yellow and gray tones of everyday life, Akhmatova often has white, blue, silver, and red.

White is the color of innocence and purity. In Russia, white is the color of the "Holy Spirit". (He descends to earth in the form of a white dove). White color symbolizes the transition from one state to another: death and birth again, for a new life. But the white color also has its sad side of meanings - it is also the color of death. The symbol "white" finds its direct reflection in Akhmatova's poetry. He is the personification of the quiet family life in the "white house". When love becomes obsolete, the heroine leaves "the white house and the quiet garden." "White", as the personification of inspiration, creativity, is reflected in the following lines: "I wanted to give her a dove, the one that everyone in the dovecote is WHITE, but the bird itself flew for my slender guest." The white dove - a symbol of inspiration - flies after the Muse, devoting itself to creativity. "White" is also the color of memories, memory: "Like a WHITE stone in the depths of a well, one memory lies in me." Day of Salvation, paradise is also indicated in white by Akhmatova: "The gate dissolved into the WHITE paradise, Magdalena took her son."

There are various shades of red in Akhmatova's lyrics. Red at Akhmatova and the blinded wall, and the tulip, and the Chinese umbrella, and the plush of the chairs, and the devils. From the shades of red, we see the “pink friend of the cockatoo”, “behind the scarlet mouth”, “pink lips”, “raspberry scarf”, etc. As you can see, the poetess uses this color not only as a symbol of passion, but also as a symbol of some kind of devilry.

Blue is a sign of light, purity and purity, the color of the sky and azure, the color of the sea and tears. Surf, fog, twilight, etc. are blue at Akhmatova.

One of the most important places in the Akhmatov color palette belongs to the silver color. Silver curls, silver willow, silver coffin, silver poplar, silver laughter, silver deer - all these are Akhmatova's epithets.

After analyzing the lyrics of Akhmatova, we can draw the following conclusion: her color designations always fulfill a semantic, descriptive and emotional purpose. Thus, the semantic function consists in the actualization of various increments of meaning; descriptive - in that color epithets are attracted by the writer so that the description becomes visible, convex; the emotional one is especially interesting: Akhmatova’s colors-symbols are a kind of “projection” of her state of mind lyrical hero. Details - symbols were necessary for the author in order to strengthen the lyrical basis of the work, more clearly emphasize this or that mood and, undoubtedly, bring a symbolic riddle to the work.

E) Household epithets

In Akhmatova's poems, many epithets are born from a holistic, inseparable, unified perception of the world. Akhmatova has poems that are “made” literally from everyday life, from everyday simple life - right down to the green washstand, on which a pale evening beam plays. One involuntarily recalls the words spoken by Akhmatova in her old age, that poems “grow from rubbish”, that even a stain of mold on a damp wall can become the subject of poetic inspiration and image.

"I pray to the window beam -
He is pale, thin, straight.
Today I am silent in the morning
And the heart is cut in half.
On my washstand
The copper turned green.
But this is how the beam plays on it,
What fun to watch.
So innocent and simple
In the evening silence
But this temple is empty
It's like a golden holiday
And consolation to me."

It is not so important for us what exactly happened in the life of the heroine, the most important thing is her pain, confusion and desire to calm down at least when looking at a sunbeam - all this is clear, understandable to us and almost everyone is familiar. The wisdom of Akhmatov's miniature, which is somewhat similar to Japanese haiku, lies in the fact that it speaks of the healing power of nature for the soul. A sunbeam, “so innocent and simple”, illuminating both the greenery of the washstand and the human soul with equal caress, is truly the semantic center of this amazing poem. Most everyday epithets emphasize the poverty and dimness of the subject: “a worn rug, worn-out heels, a faded flag,” etc. Akhmatova, in order to fall in love with the world, you need to see it sweet and simple.

And now it's time to try your hand at writing poems that use bright, accurate and author's epithets. This is what the 1st round of the educational competitive series "Paths" will be devoted to. The announcement of the competition will appear in the coming days.

Best regards, Your AlCora.

At the word, affecting its expressiveness, the beauty of pronunciation. It is expressed mainly by an adjective, but also by an adverb (“love passionately”), a noun (“fun noise”), a numeral (“second life”).

Having no definite position in the theory of literature, the name "epithet" is applied approximately to those phenomena that are called definitions in syntax, and adjectives in etymology; but the coincidence is only partial.

There is no established view of the epithet in the theory of literature: some attribute it to figures of speech, others consider it, along with figures and tropes, an independent means of poetic representation; some consider the epithet an element of exclusively poetic speech, others find it in prose as well.

This “forgetfulness of real meaning”, in the terminology of A. H. Veselovsky, is already a secondary phenomenon, but the very appearance of a permanent epithet cannot be considered primary: its constancy, which is usually considered a sign of epic, epic worldview, is the result of selection after some diversity.

It is possible that in the era of the most ancient (syncretic, lyrical-epic) song creativity this constancy did not yet exist: “only later did it become a sign of that typically conditional - and estate - worldview and style, which we consider to be somewhat one-sided, characteristic of the epic and folk poetry" [ ] .

Epithets can be expressed by different parts of speech (mother-Volga, wind-tramp, bright eyes, damp earth). Epithets are a very common concept in literature; it is difficult to imagine a work of art without them.

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✪ What is an epithet? [Lectures on Literature]

✪ Russian language | Preparation for the OGE | Task 3. Means of speech expressiveness

✪ USE 2017. Literature. Epithet

Subtitles

Dictionaries of Epithets

Epithets of Literary Russian Speech. A. Zelenetsky. 1913

In the 20th century, quilling as an art was undeservedly forgotten, but then revived again. And it is very common these days. Huge industrial enterprises for the production of materials and tools for it have been formed. Although earlier all strips of paper were made by hand. Now, in stores for creativity and needlework, he will certainly have a place where any novice amateur craftsman or already a professional can find the right thing for himself without any difficulty. Translated from in English the word quilling "quilling" means a bird's feather. In Russian, the art of quilling was given the name "paper rolling" 34]. Being engaged in quilling, in addition to receiving aesthetic pleasure, a person develops creative thinking, patience, perseverance, accuracy, fine motor skills of hands. Quilling helps to develop aesthetically and creatively. Since paper today is a material available to everyone (quilling paper is sold ready-made in a wide range of colors), it gives a lot of room for creativity. The history of quilling is not quite common, it moved from West to East and back, enriching itself with the national characteristics of different cultures. This needlework originated at the end of the 14th century - the beginning of the 15th century in Europe. Until the 16th century, it was considered art. And although most types of paper needlework came to us from the East, medieval Europe of the 14th-15th centuries is considered the birthplace of the first surviving works in the quilling technique. In those days, paper was used mainly for the manufacture of manuscripts and books, and monasteries were the main focus of knowledge and writing. It was the monks and nuns of that time who, like no one else, knew a lot about paints, painting, gilding, they understood various types of paper. Strips of paper left after trimming the edges of pages or scrolls were not thrown away - after all, paper in those days was a very expensive material that not everyone could afford - and it seems that such trimmings became the basis for the first masterpieces in the quilling technique. The nuns created graceful medallions using this technique, from paper with gilded edges. When considering these miniature paper masterpieces, the illusion of thin golden stripes was created. The nuns also decorated icons and church books with paper details with a gilded edge, decorated pendants, pendants, caskets, and arks with them, creating the complete illusion that this delicate lace is woven from gold. And this was justified - paper, even gilded, was much cheaper than precious metal, and its flexibility made it possible to create truly filigree designs from it. In Italy in the 17th century, reliquaries made in this technique were especially popular. Reliquaries - from the word "relics", in them church valuables, for example, tiny droplets of wax or melted incense from lamps, pieces of cloth-veil consecrated on the tomb, particles of the relics of saints, etc. were placed in a medallion or frame under glass among skillful curls of folded paper 35]. Unfortunately, paper is a very short-lived material, and most of the works of that time have not been preserved. However, numerous testimonies of contemporaries who saw such masterpieces in churches and monasteries located on the territory of England and Germany have come down to us. This concentration is not accidental - the first paper mill in Europe was built in England in 1495.

Most of us would agree that the main key to interacting directly with each other is communication. Communicating, we share our thoughts, emotions, views with other people. Without communication it is impossible to imagine existence modern society. However, in order for our speech to benefit others and be understandable, it is necessary to decorate it with practical, but at the same time bright words. One of these are epithets. What is it and are they so important in joint communication?

Definition of an epithet

What is an epithet in literature? We come across this definition in school. So, an epithet is a special, expressive word that serves as an addition to other words. An epithet helps to better understand the essence of a word. Based on the definition, they are used as a supplement to words denoting subject or object. He enters as an adjective. In rare cases, it can be a noun. The noun is the word for which the epithet was used. There are a lot of examples of the use of epithets together with a noun.

Here are a few of them: mighty shoulders, black melancholy, dead night. In all the examples given, figurative expressions give nouns a special meaning and emphasize their expressiveness, making the speech itself rich.

Varieties of figurative expressions

In the literature, not only the definition of this concept is known, but also three main varieties:

• individually-author's;
• general language;
• folk poetry.

Let's take a closer look at each of these types.

Individual-author's. This type is created by the authors of the works or speakers themselves. In other words, the expressions spoken or printed in books have never been used before. This species was most often used and used by poets and writers. The use of such interesting expressions gives their creativity more individuality. To see them, it is enough to read the works or poem of a famous poet. For example, Mayakovsky or Brodsky. There are phrases with epithets.

general language. This view is not an invention of a particular poet. Such expressions have already been used in speech and literature. For example, ringing silence, gentle sun, leaden clouds. In this case, the figurative expression is aimed at describing the properties and capabilities of the noun. The use of such figurative expressions in everyday speech helps us best convey the atmosphere of the upcoming event to the interlocutor or show our personal attitude to certain actions or situations.

folk poetic. In another way, they are called permanent. These expressions are the result of folk art. During the existence of peoples, they are firmly entrenched in human consciousness. This or that expression is automatically associated with this or that word. In some cases, not one word, but a whole expression can act as a folk poetic epithet. Here are some such examples: good fellow, clean field, red girl.

Don't Miss: An Interpretation of a Literary Technique, Examples of Exaggeration.

Other classification

There is another classification. In most cases, such figurative expressions stand next to the words used in the text in a figurative sense. If the noun has a figurative meaning, then the meaning of the epithet is different, for example:

• metonymic;
• metamorphic.

metonymic. Based on a figurative metonymic sense. A striking example is the expression from the work of S. Yesenin: "birch, cheerful language."

Metamorphic. different from the first type. The name of this type speaks of the basis of the figurative expression. The main one is . There are many examples of such epithets in the literature. For example, in Pushkin, these are “light threats”.

independent and permanent

There are not so many independent epithets. IN literary works or everyday life, they are used no nouns. They are independent and full-fledged members of the proposal. They don't need a supplement. If speak about literary trends, then most of all such independent figurative expressions are found in the works of the well-known era of symbolism.

What are permanent epithets? This type, in contrast to independent expressions, is often found in literature and in everyday life. Permanent epithets are beautiful and understandable figurative expressions which are predominantly used in colloquial speech. Colloquial epithets allow us to better convey the emotions of spoken words. Or show your attitude to certain subjects of discussion or to the interlocutor himself. By giving new meaning to words, constant expressions improve our skills in communicating with others.

How to find such expressions in the text?

Realizing the importance and necessity of epithets in speech and literature, it is important to learn how to track and find them. Here are some interesting and useful tips that will be, by the way, during training:

Thus, we learned what epithets can be, determined what they are and figured out a little how to find it in the text. At the end of the article, I would like to once again recall the importance of these figurative expressions in the literature. Without them, it would not be so rich, vibrant and interesting. Yes, and our everyday speech would also be sluggish, boring and dry. Therefore, epithets are a worthy decoration for our speech.

Russian language

An epithet is a poetic device that gives a word a definition or expression. It is used in artistic texts, sometimes in poetic and lyrical works.
The purpose of the epithet is to emphasize something special, its special expressiveness, which the author wants to draw attention to.

When writing stories, the authors are faced with the definition of an epithet.
The use of such an artistic technique allows the author to add subtlety, depth and expressiveness to the text. With the help of an epithet, the author's creative intent is indicated.

Simple and fused epithets

• simple - there is one adjective, an epithet for the word, for example: silk curls, deep eyes;
• fused - they have two or more roots, are perceived as one whole, for example: wonderfully mixed noise.

There is such a thing as the epithet of authorship, which is less common than others. Gives the sentence a unique meaning and additional expressiveness. When you have such texts in front of you, you begin to understand how complex and wide the worldview of the writer is.

The presence of epithets in the presentation gives a sense of a special semantic depth, which is filled with irony, bitterness, sarcasm and bewilderment.

Types of epithets

In Russian, the epithet is divided into three types:

general language

Norm of literary phrases. There are about 210 epithets for the word “silence”: deaf, exciting, grave, sensitive.
Common language epithets are:

• comparative. They are used to compare and liken one object to another (dog barking, bear look, cat purring);
• anthropomorphic. It is based on the transfer of human properties and signs of objects to a natural phenomenon, for example: a gentle breeze, a smiling sun, a dull birch;
• amplifying tautological. Repeat and reinforce the signs of the object, for example: soft cotton wool, soundlessly in silence, serious danger;

folk poetic

Such epithets appeared thanks to oral folk art. Basically, the folklore flavor has been preserved. Unlike others, they are permanent and limited in compatibility: blue river, orange sun, brown bear.

Individual-author's

A rare semantic association. Basically, they are not reproduced, but they have an occasional character, for example: chocolate mood, chamomile laughter, stone thunder.
Such combinations do not fit into the framework of general literary norms, but the effect of animation is created, expressiveness is enhanced.

Constant

When the techniques are used in stable phrases, for example: far away kingdom, good fellow. When writing fiction authors use:

• evaluative epithets (unbearable heat, lost feelings);
• descriptive (tired heart);
• emotional (dull autumn, sad time).

Thanks to epithets, the artistic phrase becomes more expressive.

How to find epithets in a text?

Let's try to figure out what epithets are in Russian and how to recognize them in writing? They are placed immediately after the word being defined.

In order to achieve depth in the story and enhance the specificity of the sound, the authors arrange the epithets in a vertical position, that is, they are separated from each other. Famous Russian poets, when writing poems, placed them at the end of the line. When reading such creations, the reader felt a sense of mystery.
To accurately identify them in a work of art, you need to remember that they are different parts of speech. They are used as an adjective, for example: the golden laughter of bells, the mysterious sounds of the violin.

It can also be found in the form of an adverb, for example: fervently prayed. Often have the form of a noun (evening of disobedience); numeral (third hands).
For conciseness, statements can be used as participles and verbal adjectives (What if I, thoughtful, can you return?), Germinal participles.

Epithets in literature

What is an epithet in literature? An important element, without which it is impossible to do when writing artwork. In order to write a captivating story that will attract the reader, it is important to resort to such techniques. When there are a lot of them in the text, this is also bad.
When a certain image, object or phenomenon is described by epithets, they will become more expressive. They also have other purposes, namely:

• emphasize feature or a property of an object that is described in the presentation, for example: blue sky, wild animal;
• explain and clarify the sign that will help to distinguish one or another object, for example: purple, crimson, gold leaves;
• be used as the basis for creating something comical, for example. The authors combine words that are contrasting in meaning: light brunette, bright night;
• allow the writer to express his opinion on the described phenomenon;
• help inspire the subject, for example: the first spring bell rumbles, rumbles in the dark blue sky;
• create the necessary atmosphere and evoke the necessary emotions, for example: alien and lonely to everything;
• form readers' opinions on what is happening, for example: a small scientist, but a pedant;

Often use epithets in poems, stories, novels and short stories. They make them alive and exciting. They evoke their emotions in readers about what is happening.

It is safe to say that without epithets, literature would not fully exist.

Epithet- this is a figurative definition that gives an artistic description of a phenomenon or object. An epithet is a comparison and can be expressed as an adjective, as well as a noun, a verb or an adverb.

Golden autumn, blue sea, snow-white winter, velvet leather, crystal ringing

The epithet is one of the main terms of the theory of literature, which is a definition of a word and affects its expressiveness. Basically, when writing epithets, adjectives are used. But adverbs are also widely used, for example " hot kiss". Nouns are used to write epithets (example: joy cry), numerals (example: first friend), as well as verbs (example: volunteer help). An epithet is a single word or a whole phrase that acquires a new semantic connotation and meaning due to its location in the text and the corresponding context. No specific view of the epithet still exists. Some are sure that epithets refer to figures, others boldly put them on a par with paths and figures, as an independent means for poetic depiction.

An epithet is a word or expression (syntactic whole) in a literary text, usually poetic, lyrical, which carries in itself especially expressive properties and emphasizes something in the image object that is inherent only to it alone. With the help of epithets, a special subtlety, expressiveness, and depth are achieved. The construction of the epithet is usually simple. It's an adjective + noun. The epithet in the text most often appears in postposition, after the word being defined. If the epithets are located vertically in the text, that is, separated from each other, then this only enhances their specific sound and gives a special depth to the text. Here, for example, in A. Blok's poem, epithets end the line:

Everything is as it was. Only strange

reigned silence.

And in your window foggy

Only street scary.

epithet " strange" creates the effect of breaking silence, and after the word " foggy The reader has a feeling of mystery, a booming echo. There are simple epithets, which include one adjective, for example: " dove clouds"(S. A. Yesenin). Or fused, consisting of two or even three roots, but perceived by ear as one whole, for example: “ convincing false story". (A. K. Tolstoy)

There are author's epithets, which are quite rare, carrying an additional expressive load, conveying a special meaning not just of a word, but often of a whole group of words: In saucers - lifebuoy goggles"(V. Mayakovsky). By reading and thinking about such an epithet, we can gradually understand the complexity and breadth of the author's view of familiar things. There is also a lexical subtext in the epithet of V. Mayakovsky, a special semantic depth filled with irony, bitterness, sarcasm, bewilderment ...

And all this is achieved with the help of just one artistic and expressive means of language - the epithet.

The role of epithets can be defined in one wording: when epithets are part of a complex syntactic construction, which, as a whole, should also not only convey the author's idea to the reader, but also emotionally enrich it. Thanks to a successful combination of epithets, personifications, comparisons, metaphors, writers create non-standard images.

« In the early morning of the fourteenth day of the spring month of Nisan, in a white cloak with a bloody lining, shuffling with a cavalry gait, the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, entered the covered colonnade between the two wings of the palace of Herod the Great ...» M. Bulgakov, "Master and Margarita".

The author strings epithets on top of each other, and uses epithets that not only outline color or gait, but also convey information. The lining of the cloak is not just red, but symbolically bloody. And the epithets for describing the gait give an idea of ​​the past of its owner and the fact that he retained the bearing of a military man. Other epithets are descriptions of circumstances of place and time.

Together with the article “What is an epithet in Russian?” read:

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What is personification in literature?