THE PRAGMATIC FUNCTION OF COMPARISONS IN JOHN STEINBECK’S “A RUSSIAN JOURNAL”

Abstract

The article examines comparisons in John Steinbeck’s travelogue A Russian Journal from pragmatic, semantic, and stylistic perspectives as one of the means of constructing the dialogic dimension of travel writing. The object of the study is represented by the most illustrative micro-images which, from a structural point of view, take the form of comparative constructions. The aim of the research is to identify the pragmatic potential of comparisons and determine their role in shaping the image of the Other and the author’s conceptual framework. The study employs contextual, structural-semantic, and interpretative methods of literary text analysis. The findings demonstrate that, despite their relative scarcity, comparisons occupy a central position in the depiction of natural and cultural landscapes and function as a means of organizing readers’ perception. It has been established and substantiated that comparisons in Russian Journal simultaneously perform informative, evaluative, and interpretative functions, helping to convey the author’s meanings while preserving the external objectivity of the narrative. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that this device also contributes to the deconstruction of cultural stereotypes and facilitates dialogue between different national worldviews.