“Literatura mirovoj revoljucii”, 1, 1931 - [S008]
Communicative Intention: Creation of the image of the Other as the "Enemy"
Utterance Aim: To arouse suspicion in the reader and cause him to distance himself from the concept described
Concrete Linguistic Means/Tool: Use of ironic inverted commas
Journal Title: "Literatura mirovoj revoljucii"
Journal Number: 1
Contexts & Examples: Популизм, оформленный как литературная школа известными реакционными писателями - Андре Теривом, присяжным критиком «Тана», выдвигает лозунг показа в литературе мелкого, забытого «человека из народа», прежде всего как момент своеобразной экзотики, долженствующий освежить современную французскую литературу, […]
Edited by Svetlana Slavkova
The use of ironic inverted commas in the designations indicates that the author does not support these phenomena, or, at least, does not recognise them as acceptable. It is implicitly suggested to the reader that the designation ‘chelovek iz naroda’ [man of the people, simple man], in the meaning attributed to it by reactionary and populist writers, does not correspond to the proletarian concept of a representative of the working classes, towards whom one should feel empathy and for whose rights one should fight. On the contrary, the presence of such characters in bourgeois literature is implied to be an instrument used for extending the influence of the bourgeoisie over the working class. The intention of the Soviet authors to forcefully reject the concepts being discussed, as well as their disagreement with exponents of Western European art and culture, is thus evident. Such a rhetorical device, i.e. the recurrent and systematic use of ironic inverted commas, testifies not only to a precise discursive strategy, but also to a certain aggressive charge, since doubt is consciously and intentionally instilled in the reader, with the aim of winning his consent and inducing him to join US and become ONE of US.