Means of expressing the author’s modality in The Epistle to the Ugra of Vassian Rylo
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikpsy-2024-4-2
- Pages
- 16-24
Abstract
It is an axiom in modern linguistics that language must be studied with consideration of the anthropological factor. In this regard, scholars have shown increasing interest in the category of authorial modality. Since the late 1980s, numerous academic works have been devoted to exploring this category. However, unfortunately, the category of authorial modality has not yet been fully and comprehensively studied from a diachronic perspective; most researchers examine this category based on modern language, which limits the ability to observe its development over time.
This article focuses on the study of the modal organization in the Old Russian oratory prose monument The Epistle to the Ugra of Vassian Rylo (15th century). This outstanding text was written during a critical historical moment. Archbishop Vassian of Rostov, Yaroslavl, and Belozersk writes to Grand Duke Ivan III as Khan Akhmat advances towards Russia. The priest seeks to support his ruler and persuade him to resist the enemy. Considering that Vassian is writing to a superior, he cannot fully display his personal voice in the text. Nevertheless, he faces a clear task — to urge the prince to act. Therefore, the author employs means of exhortation, which we consider a leading component of authorial modality, as it serves as a means of expressing the author’s “self” in this text.