supraverbal
(poetic) layer
. The verbal and supraverbal layers of the text are thus inseparable from each
other because all the elements of the literary text mentioned above materialized in word
sequence, make the latter acquire a meaning that is superimposed by the whole literary
text.
The cohesion of two layers , i.e. of the strictly verbal and supraverbal constituents
is known as poetic structure of the literary text. There is nothing in the literary work that
is not expressed in its poetic structure. It is the whole of the poetic structure that conveys
the author's message. One element (or component) of the poetic structure is as important,
as any other, for through them the author's entire message is conveyed. All the components
of the poetic structure compose a hierarchy, an organization of independent layers. The
basic unit of the poetic structure is the word. All the various layers of the structure, i.e. the
syntactic, the semantic, the rhythmical, the compositional, the stylistic are expressed in
words.
The simile «he watched me intently like a prize--fighter», taken by itself is nothing,
just a play of words, a word image, but within a literary text it is a unit ' which along with
others of all tropes and figures of speech used in the novel «The Quiet American» goes to
depict the image of Pyle. The image of Pyle in its turn, as one of the character-images,
together with all the other ones in the novel goes to convey the author's message.
Representation of the literary work in terms of a structure or a hierarchy of layers
presupposes the concept of macro (theme and idea, image, genre, composition, etc.) and
micro ( tropes ,figures of speech)-elements( components) and bears upon
form – content
relationship
.
Macro and micro-elements is a functional, not an absolute category. Within a
literary work a simile , for instance , is a micro – element in relation to a macro-element
which may be the image of a character , and the latter in its turn is a micro-element in
relation to the macro-element which is the literary work itself , understood as an image of
reality.
The fact that macro-elements of a literary work are made out of micro-elements
means in the final analyses that micro- elements are form in relation to macro elements
which are content.
Thus, an analysis in which the idea of the literary work is considered separate from
the verbal materialization is an erroneous and harmful practice, because it leads the reader
away from the appreciation of the essence of verbal art.
Each literary work is a unique instance of imaginative representation of reality.
Imaginative representation has its own principles which cohere all elements of the literary
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text and render it possible for the latter to constitute a world complete in itself. These
principles are common to all literary works.
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