The thesis focuses on the сognitive-discursive realization of Victorian England Image reconstructed on the basis of the corpora of English fiction literature and nonfiction historical documents of the Crimean War period of 1853‒1856. The research is conducted by special means of the cognitive-discursive analysis applied to lexical and phraseological nominative units represented in Victorian discursive historical-cultural dominants.
The complexity and diversity of the category of image determined appliance of the methodological tools of linguistic-cognitive and cognitive-discursive scientific paradigms. The provisions of discourse analysis, which focuses on both lingual text aspects and extra-lingual historic-cultural century of the époque, have served as a methodological basis for this approach. Discourse analysis was applied at the stage of studying the micro- and macrostructure of Victorian discourse, as well as at the stage of discursive implementation of thematic nominative units (hereinafter TNU) in historically marked discursive contexts.
In line with the linguistic-cognitive approach, the syncretic nature of Victorian England Image is presented as a multifaceted mental entity, which highlights the cognitive, perceptual-associative and semiotic aspects of the category of image and reveals its complexity as a multilevel linguistic-cognitive and semiotic mental construct.
Cognitive processing of the language corpora of the historiographical sources of the Crimean War made it possible to delineate the cognitive-nominative domain of Victorian England Image. The detected TNU have been classified into the three lexical types: neological onomastic vocabulary (eponyms, anthroponyms, and toponyms), historically marked vocabulary (thematic vocabulary under study), and connotatively coloured vocabulary (emotive and expressive, evaluative, figurative). The first two types name cultural and historical innovations, events and abstract notions of Victorian England period, whereas the third type characterizes these items, revealing the actual attitude of the Victorians towards the abovementioned aspects.
The сognitive-discursive approach enabled to subdivide the TNU of the Crimean War period into four thematic domains – historical-cultural dominants. Taxonomy of the historical-cultural dominants of Victorian England is presented in the following groups: “War”, “Nationhood”, “Science & Technology”, and “Arts & Culture”. The сognitive-discursive reconstruction of Victorian England Image of the Crimean War period was implemented on the basis of the applied taxonomy.
Cognitive processing of information about historical-cultural dominants of Victorian era, embodied in historiographical sources of the Crimean War, provides an opportunity to formulate an idea of Victorian England Image.
It is established that Victorian England is a powerful militaristic state, whose existence is associated with the maintenance of conquered colonies and the policy of further military expansion. Victorians see the war as a career, profession, service, and an English soldier – as a loyal subject who fulfills the noble mission of defending the fatherland. Simultaneously, there is a negative assessment of military losses due to bureaucracy, helpless and incompetent management of the British army. Victorian England is viewed as the citadel of the great glorious old empire, the home of an invincible race of happy people who are crowded on the beautiful Green Island in the middle of the sea, which justifies the policy of territorial expansion. Victorian England is a prosperous, industrialized country. In times of military conflict, a whole galaxy of gunsmiths, military engineers and industrialists work for the benefit of its economic growth in heavy industry, rapid development of science and technology, trade and commerce. Victorian England is a trendsetter of fashion and refined design, a centre for the creation of objects of aesthetic pleasure.
