A simple definition still learned at school comes up: the epithet is a pictorial and expressive means of language.
But let's take a closer look at what an epithet is. From the Greek language, this word is translated as "attached", that is, the definition applied to the defined word. He gives the word an individual coloring, complements the meaning, saturates. The section of literature that studies a work of art and its structure is called poetics.
What is the epithet, known since ancient times. Since ancient times, epithets are divided into “necessary” and “decorating”. The first includes those definitions that the word concretizes, merging with it, becomes an inseparable word combination and cannot be separated from each other without prejudice to the semantic content. For example, “English”, “stale bread”, “delirium tremens”. Without their definitions, these words will lose their inherent uniqueness and distinctiveness. The language can be any, but English only English. The decorating epithet, on the contrary, refines and details the features or attributes inherent in the word. For example, “golden ears of corn”, “black night”, “spring thunder”.
But more and more experts are inclined to believe what an epithet is, referring to this very word - decorating.
What is an epithet and what can it be? The epithet can be represented not in one grammatical form, but in different ones. Both an adjective and a noun can act as an epithet.
For example, the "blue of heaven" and the "blue sea". "Blue" and "blue" are epithets.
Some researchers argue that, depending on the situation, even a verb can act as an epithet. In the phrase "the sea turns blue", the word turns blue appears modifications of the adjective blue, offering a different form of expression of the same property.
What is an epithet and what is its role?
The artistic epithet enlivens sentences, turning them into vivid images, endowing familiar words with unusual properties. Imagine a story without any definitions.
The man was sitting at the table, looking out the window at a thunderstorm ...
Is monotonous reading wrong? Items appear flat, reality is monochrome, actions are routine.
What is an epithet? Epithets add volume to words. Not just a person seeking inspiration for a writer. Not just a table, but made of whole wood, dear, spacious. Not just a thunderstorm, but spring, tearing the sky, condescending downpour to the loose earth.
Reading the text saturated with paths, you are transported to the universe created by the author and connected to it. This is the magic of literature, and trails such as the epithet help a lot in accomplishing it.
A recognized master in the use of epithets is the English writer Oscar Ould. The saturation of one sentence with epithets in his main work - “Portrait of Dorian Gray” - is amazing.
It would seem familiar words, but skillfully connected together in only one sentence, paint a complete picture of everyday life, immersing them in the atmosphere of the early 20th century. Wald knew how to play beautiful words, and he characterized each subject with an epithet. Only he could fully reveal the whole essence of the plan and characterize not only the person, but also the surrounding life. Without these descriptions, the characterization of our life is not possible. In everyday life, we often use this concept, without even knowing what it means. Nevertheless, we can say with confidence that we are surrounded by continuous "descriptive words."
Among the Russian masters, words primarily distinguish poets.
Thanks to folklore, stable expressions appeared in the Russian language and, on the whole, the definition of an epithet appeared, which is directly associated with folk art. These include the phrase “white swan”, “red sun”, “clean field”, “good fellow”, “golden cockerel”, “bright eyes”, widely known through fairy tales.