Axiological Portrait of V. J. Wolf

Abstract

Aim. In the study specifics of the formation and representation of an axiological portrait are analyzed in V. Ya. Wolf’s book called “Silver Ball”.

Methodology. In the texts of V. Ya. Wolf, the theater critic, the implementation of the author’s assessment devoted to the actors’ performances are analyzed from the linguistic point of view. Based on the lexical-semantic, structural-semantic, and functional-semantic analysis, the means of expression that characterize the author’s linguistic personality are identified.

Results. The corpus of contexts representing the axiological portrait of V. Ya. Wolf has been composed. The key means of expression used by a theater critic as an actor which conveyed the originality of the author’s picture of the world were identified.

Research implications. As a result of studies, the language units which convey the semantic values of the author’s picture of the world have been updated. Studying both V. Ya. Wulf’s biography and his background knowledge makes it possible to describe his axiological portrait and extralinguistic factors which influenced its formation. The practical implication of the study is that its materials and conclusions can be used in the next studies to help describing the Russian linguistic picture of the world, teaching linguoculturology, and compiling an author’s dictionary.