The Image of the Speaker in the Reviews by Henryk Sienkiewicz Cover Image

Obraz nadawcy w recenzjach Henryka Sienkiewicza
The Image of the Speaker in the Reviews by Henryk Sienkiewicz

Author(s): Dimitar Dimitrov
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Polish Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego

Summary/Abstract: The Image of the Speaker in the Reviews by Henryk Sienkiewicz The aim of the article is to investigate the ways in which the speaker in the reviews by Henryk Sienkiewicz presents himself to the reader and to describe the roles he performs. The present analysis indicates that there is a correspondence between the image of the speaker and the type of the review. On the one hand, in case of reviews with a complex structure and a diverse illocutionary potential, i.e. academic reviews, polemical reviews which discuss and assess various aspects of the literary work, the speaker frequently assumes the roles of an expert, a connoisseur or a teacher, which often permeate and complement one another. On the other hand, reviews in the form of an overview or a summary usually feature a speaker-informer. Regardless of the genre, the speaker manifests his presence in the first-person plural forms and pronouns (my, nasz; Eng. we, our) and uses surprisingly few singular forms. What may explain the employment of the “my” (“we”) form as the plural of modesty is an attempt to make the text of the review seem more objective, while the inclusive “my” (“we”) serves persuasive purposes.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 47
  • Page Range: 46-58
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish