Title as detail in W. Saroyan’s and N. Gogol’s writing (comparative analysis)
Nino Kwirikadze
Iraklij Cchwediani
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze functional aspects of the title as detail in the works byWilliam Saroyan (Corduroy Pants) and Nikolay Gogol (The Overcoat) by making use of structural-semantic method. The title as an artistic detail is a constituent element of dynamic textual microstructure in both short stories. In the essay we are concentrating on the analysis of two ‘portrait details’ (‘corduroy pants’ and ‘overcoat’) ‘moving’ throughout the entire text, thus revealing their thematic implications. By juxtaposing stylistic devices the two writers employ, we demonstrate the originality of Saroyan’s artistic method. In both works title as a detail (an attribute of clothing) is repeated multiple times and becomes a leitmotif. For the fictional characters in both stories it becomes not only necessity but an object of their dreams. Their entire spiritual aspirations, innermost wishes and desires are subordinated to the sole goal of getting an overcoat in Gogol’s short story and corduroy pants in Saroyan’s. Gogol describes the social milieu sarcastically and in the final analysis the story has a tragic ending. The social aspect of Saroyan’s story is marked by Chekhovian irony and the story on the whole is permeated with optimistic spirit as it is generally characteristic of the entire body of Saroyan’s writing.
