The article examines the lexical and grammatical means of expressing emotions shame and embarrassment in F. M. Dostoevsky's novel «The Idiot». It is revealed that nominative means represent emotions in combination with contextual synonyms and antonyms, phraseological phrases, epithets and metaphors. Figurative means reflect the individual author's features of the representation of the emotional state.

Keywords: emotions, shame, embarrassment, F. M. Dostoevsky, metaphor, epithet, phraseology.

В статье рассматриваются лексические и грамматические средства выражения эмоций «стыд» и «смущение» в романе Ф. М. Достоевского «Идиот». Выявлено, что номинативные средства репрезентируют эмоции в сочетании с контекстуальными синонимами и антонимами, фразеологизмами, эпитетами и метафорами. Образные средства отражают индивидуально-авторские особенности репрезентации эмоционального состояния.

Ключевые слова: эмоции, стыд, смущение, Ф. М. Достоевский, метафора, эпитет, фразеологизм.

The study of the emotional component of life is of particular interest to modern scholars. Each science studying the phenomenon of emotions (such as philosophy, psychology, and others) has accumulated sufficient knowledge, which has allowed linguists to begin working on the issue of the linguistics of emotions. Researcher V. I. Shakhovskiy and his followers have proven the importance of studying emotions for domestic linguistics. «Emotions constitute the core of a person's personality: language correlates not only with logical thinking but with the entire sphere of human consciousness, thus enabling one to penetrate into the mysteries of language structure and into the person himself» [1, p. 7]. In the 1970s and 1980s, the science of emotiology emerged, the main task of which is «the linguistic categorization of emotions and the poly-status presentation of the cognitive-discursive category of emotiveness» [2, p. 149]. Emotiveness is understood as «an immanently inherent semantic property of language to express emotional content as a fact of the psyche, reflected in the semantics of linguistic units, social, and individual emotions» [3, p. 24].

Emotions are represented not only in verbal communication but also in artistic texts. There are two main ways in which humans express emotions: verbally (using vocabulary, phraseology, changes in intonation, and others) and non-verbally (facial expressions, behavioral reactions, gestures). In artistic texts, emotions are expressed through various linguistic means and techniques. In descriptive contexts, direct speech of characters incorporates emotionally colored lexemes, metaphors, phraseological expressions, deliberately chosen by the writer in accordance with artistic intent and specific intentions.

In the novel «The Idiot» by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the representation of emotions such as shame and embarrassment is achieved through lexical and grammatical means. The following nominations for embarrassment and shame are frequent:

1. Nouns: «<...> — N-no... I... n-no», Gavriil Ardalionovich lied, and the blush of shame flushed his face . He cast a quick glance at Aglaya, who was sitting aside, and quickly averted his eyes. Aglaya coldly, intently, calmly gazed at him without looking away, observing his embarrassment » [4, p. 87]. An analysis of the phraseology shows a modification in the fixed expression flushed with shame , documented in A. I. Fyodorov's phraseological dictionary. Dostoevsky includes a component specifying the degree of emotion expression — the blush of shame . The transformation of this phraseological turn is recurrent in the novel, as seen in the following example: «Yet another unforeseen, but the most terrible torment for the vain person — the torment of blushing among one's own family , in one's own house, had fallen to his lot» [4, p. 113]. In this example, the fixed expression does not explicitly name the emotion, but the inclusion of components such as among one's own family and background knowledge of the vegetative manifestation of shame (blushing) allow readers to understand the character's emotional state.

Epithets can serve as markers intensifying emotion, characterizing the protagonist, demonstrating the impact of emotion on behavior and actions: « I almost wanted again to open the door and stop my embarrassed , grateful, and shame-stricken doctor <...>» [4, p. 415]. The emotion of shame is represented by a common nomination of the emotion, but the specifying component shame-stricken indicates the degree of the experienced feeling.

A way to represent strong emotion could be through figurative nominations like flaring up from shame and fury , which not only represents a combination of emotions but also specifies the degree of feeling expression: «<...> — How... can it really be true that he was there? — exclaimed Gania, flaring up from shame and fury . — Heavens, but you were there! Did you learn anything? Was the old man there? Was he or not?» [4, p. 487] Figurative nominations are a special means of emotion representation, reflecting the author's individual description of the character's emotional state and contributing to the creation of their psychological portrait.

2. Adjective names denoting a permanent trait characterize the character, enhancing the description of their inner world: «<...> You know how insanely shy and bashful she still is; as a child, she would climb into the closet and sit there for two, three hours, just to avoid going out to guests; the introvert has grown up, yet it's still the same» [4, p. 486]. Direct emotion nominations are complemented by an elaborate context in which the character's actions depict the peculiarities of emotion manifestation and its intensity. The emotion of shame receives linguistic expression through contextual synonyms shy and bashful , as well as descriptions of actions indicating an unwillingness to interact with strangers, a desire to hide from society ( climbing into the closet and sitting there for a certain amount of time ) in connection with the experienced feeling of shame.

The description of the emotion of embarrassment is carried out through contextual synonyms embarrassed and thoughtful : «He returned embarrassed , thoughtful ; a heavy puzzle weighed on his soul, even heavier than before» [4, p. 124]. The writer incorporates into the context a figurative metaphorical description aheavy puzzle weighed on his soul , which specifies the complex mental and emotional state of the character.

3. Verbs and verb forms (participles, gerunds) denoting emotions are complemented by comparisons that express the character's internal state: «'Oh, how you will be ashamed of your actions! <...> Gania really stood as if annihilated » [4, p. 123].

The peculiarities of the emotional state can be represented through antonyms that help specify the emotion: «<...> Aglaya evidently was embarrassed , but not timid . Upon entering, she barely glanced at her rival and all the while sat with her eyes cast down, as if in contemplation . Twice, as though accidentally, she glanced around the room : disgust seemingly showed in her face, as if she was afraid of tarnishing herself here. She mechanically adjusted her clothing and even shifted uneasily once, moving toward the corner of the couch » [4, p. 584]. The description of actions demonstrates an ambiguous emotional state, the dynamics of the emotion, expressed through paralinguistic elements (cast-down gaze, unconscious gestures, spatial position changes).

4. Words in the category of states serve as a means of representing the emotion of shame and in direct speech demonstrate the character's awareness of this feeling: «<...> I am small in stature, dressed like a peasant, standing there silent, staring at her in embarrassment , while he is all fashionable, powdered and curled, rosy-cheeked, with a plaid tie—so self-assured, so expansive, and surely she mistook him for me!» [4, p. 14]. The author employs the idiom staring with wide eyes , which is annotated in A. I. Fyodorov's phraseological dictionary as «contemptuously», and is interpreted as «to look persistently, intently, and unceremoniously at someone» [5]. In the context of expressing the emotion of shame, this fixed expression can be interpreted somewhat differently: under the influence of embarrassment, the character freezes, refrains from actions, including facial expressions. The motionless gaze in the analyzed fragment becomes a means of representing the emotion of shame. Overall, the context presents an elaborate contrast of emotions, articulated through verbs that serve as contextual antonyms. For example: standing, silent, staring wide-eyed and so self-assured, so expansive .

Thus, in Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel «The Idiot», embarrassment and shame are represented through nouns and adjectives, verb forms, and words in the category of states, complemented by contextual synonyms and antonyms, idioms and their authorial variations, figurative devices (comparisons, metaphors), as well as descriptive contexts of characters' nonverbal behaviors. Additional means of expressing emotions that the writer incorporates into the textual space of the novel contribute to a more precise description of emotions (their intensity and dynamics). Expressiveness tools lend concreteness to the context, participate in creating the psychological portrait of the character, and reflect the individual-authorial features of expressing emotional states, as well as their combinations.

References:

1. Ionova, S. V. Linguistics of Emotions: From Theory to Practice // Bulletin of the Russian University of Peoples' Friendship. Series: Linguistics / S. V. Ionova. — Volgograd, 2015. — P. 7–10
2. Zueva, E. A. Verbalization of Paralinguistic Acts in the Artistic Text of Contemporary German Literature: a dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Philological Sciences: 10.02.04 / E. A. Zueva. — Belgorod, 2005. — 162 p.
3. Shakhovskiy, V. I. Categorization of Emotions in the Lexico-Semantic System of Language / V. I. Shakhovskiy. — Voronezh: Voronezh State University, 1987. — 190 p.
4. Dostoevsky, F. M. The Idiot / F. M. Dostoevsky. — Moscow: Eksmo, 2022. — 636 p.
5. Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language: about 13000 phraseological units [electronic resource] / A. I. Fedorov. — 3rd ed., corrected. — Moscow: Astrel, 2008. — URL: https://gufo.me/dict/fedorov (Accessed: 30.04.2025)