On defining cultural modality and its manifestation in L. N. Tolstoy’s short story “Polikushka”
Abstract
The article addresses the issue of collective reflection on various manifestations of reality. The aim of the study is to confirm the existence of cultural modality as a linguocultural category. This objective was achieved through the methods of description, componential and pragmatic analysis, and linguocultural interpretation. Using L. N. Tolstoy’s story “Polikushka” as material, the study examines the reactions of representatives of the 19th-century peasant world to different aspects of reality. The hypothesis of Y. M. Lotman regarding the cultural significance of the emotions of shame and fear is confirmed. The concept of cultural modality is introduced, defined as a semantic-pragmatic category determined by cultural factors and manifested in typical collective responses to reality. The semantic-cognitive core of this category consists of cultural norms, which serve as the basis for reflection of a particular type. These norms are expressed through cognitive operators such as “must” vs. “must not,” “may” vs. “may not,” and “necessary” vs. “unnecessary.” Norms vary in their degree of obligatoriness and are adjusted by cultural attitudes and ideas about social life. It is established that cultural modality has a collective character, which underscores its objectivity. A cultural norm manifests itself in behavioral standards within its relevant environment, thereby objectifying the actional nature of cultural modality. The study demonstrates that cultural modality is formed at an archetypal level. Analysis reveals that a text, as a model of reality, reflects numerous specific cultural modalities generated by its characters. Plot development is determined by the challenges of reality, to which the hero responds either by following or rejecting the norms. The study shows that cultural modality employs both verbal and nonverbal means of expression, whose consideration on a single analytical plane is made possible by a semiotic approach.