Cognitive-pragmatic description of jealousy and its objectification in Leo Tolstoy’s letters to his wife

The article gives a cognitive-pragmatic description of jealousy. The material of the study are Leo Tolstoy's letters to his wife. The research is carried out by the method of discourse, pragmatic, and component analysis. On the basis of the semantic analysis, combinability of the key word of this emotional concept it is revealed that it has a script character. The paper proposes a cognitive scenario of jealousy. The author found that in a calm psychological state Tolstoy interpreted jealousy as something bad, as a misfortune, as a manifestation of selfishness. The article determines that the feeling of jealousy is a complex communicative strategy, including tactics heterogeneous in semiotic aspect. The author reveals that Tolstoy is clearly aware of the purpose of his communicative-pragmatic behavior when feeling jealousy: he wants Sophia Andreyevna to stop her relationship with Sergey I. Taneyev, which indicates his dominant role in the relationship. The work explicates several speech tactics used by Lev Nikolayevich: formation of guilt in the addressee, stimulation of sympathy and self-pity on his part; simulation of misunderstanding; reproach; evaluation of the third person acting as the cause of jealousy; comparison, prediction of consequences with exaggeration. The tactics he uses are predominantly destructive, reflecting a focus on himself. In order to manipulate Tolstoy uses a variety of means of empathy. The paper concludes that Tolstoy uses predominantly explicit tactics, openly and directly influencing the addressee. The main means of verbal objectification of jealousy are various intensifiers. Tolstoy is opinionated. His letters expressing this feeling are characterized by being illogical and inconsistent. Tolstoy explains his psychological state as follows: his wife disturbed the usual course of life, caused him anxiety, the reason for which was only in the behavior of Sophia Andreyevna, who is able to normalize the situation. Tolstoy makes demands to his wife and sets conditions for her. The study of the written manifestations of this feeling in personal discourse reconstructs a complete picture of the nature and verbalization of jealousy.

everyday discourse, emotional concept, jealousy, communicative strategy, communicative tactics, Leo Tolstoy