Punctuational Minus Device in Parody: A Study of A. P. Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Dog” and M. M. Zoshchenko’s “The Lady with the Flowers”

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the punctuational minus device within the context of parody. The study examines emotive punctuation marks (exclamation points, mid-sentence and terminal ellipses, question marks) in A. P. Chekhov’s short story “The Lady with the Dog” (1899) and its ‘parodic reinterpretation’ (I. P. Koleva) by M. M. Zoshchenko’s “The Lady with the Flowers” (1929). The relevance of this research lies in the fact that the emotive-deictic function of punctuation marks has not been described at the intertextual level, and methods of parodying punctuation (with the exception of hyperbolic reproduction) remain unestablished. It is demonstrated that the punctuational minus device consists of the absence of necessary punctuation marks as well as the use of less suitable punctuation marks for fulfilling specific functions. The study reveals that when realizing the emotive-deictic function in an intertext of a parodic type, the punctuational minus device manifests itself in a highly limited and less diverse usage of emotive punctuation marks. A comparative analysis of A. P. Chekhov’s and M. M. Zoshchenko’s short stories leads to the conclusion that the parodic punctuational minus device contributes to the creation of an almost emotionless narrative.

Keywords

• minus device
• parody
• punctuation
• short story
• reflection
• literary text
• emotive punctuation marks