What is an epithet in literature? Examples of epithets from fiction. What is the epithet of fiction used for and what is it?

Our speech would be poor without words that describe the characteristics of the objects that we are telling our interlocutor about. Epithets help convey how a speaker feels about a particular phenomenon and what assessment he gives it.

Let's consider what an epithet is in literature, give a definition of this term, look at an example of why it is needed, and note the importance of its use in a particular case.

The word has ancient Greek roots, its meaning is clear from the translation - “attached”. The function of an epithet is to emphasize the word next to it.

It gives expressiveness to the phrase. This can be an adjective (a beautiful fence), an adverb (to run quickly), as well as a noun, numeral (third number), verb, .

Epithets are used in the poem to emphasize imagery, emotional coloring, the author’s vision, hidden or explicit meaning.

The epithet is often used in both poetry and prose. Its structure and textual functionality give the word color, new meaning, and emotionality. The role of the word is described by experts in different ways. They don't have a common vision. Although this is one of the oldest stylistic terms.

Some classify it among figures and paths, considering it an independent unit. Others argue that it should only be used in poetry and not in prose.

Important! Previously, the term “decorating epithet” was used, but it did not accurately characterize this phenomenon.

A simple epithet is an expression without a figurative meaning. And the lofty term can be attributed to metaphor.

It is difficult to overestimate the meaning of this word, since without its use the poems would be faded and inexpressive.

Defining words allow not only to emphasize the property of an object, but also to emotionally color the author’s attitude towards this object. Then the reader also feels the emotions that the author of the text wanted to convey.

Examples of epithets

Such techniques help highlight the main idea or emphasize advantages. People liked some expressions so much that they began to be used in speech. This suggests that the writer coped with his task: his work was not only remembered, but it also went to the people.

Sometimes it is only through these definitions that a writer can use their personality and come up with a unique definition. It may be the fruit of the author’s inner world, his attitude to the situation.

Use in literature

Using this technique, a significant feature is identified in what the author wanted to say. It can be a word or phrase. Two types can be used in a poem:

figurative;
lyrical.

The first option is used when you need to emphasize a word, but avoid evaluation. Examples: red sunset, yellow sun, blue sky. That is, it is rather a statement of fact. The second option is the author’s attitude towards what he describes (noisy aspen, most beautiful action).

Epithets: interpretation and role in language

With epithets that are well chosen, the writer or poet draws more attention to those words that he wants to emphasize or highlight. Therefore, it is important to find expressions that will add expressiveness to the work.

A correctly chosen definition can give speech sophistication, depth and enhanced expression of properties. Most often, these words are adjectives. They are located behind the defined word.

Alexander Blok used reinforcements in his works, placing them distant from each other. This technique colored their sound. They were located at the end of the line of the poem.

Epithets in different parts of speech

Knowing what an epithet is in literature, a writer can easily use it to enhance the semantic effect, as well as create author’s definitions. This is the exception rather than the rule, but they are present in the works of V. Mayakovsky, for example.

With their help, he gives expression to expression, using not one word, but several. After reading such a combination of words, a person will think about the author’s thoughts and appreciate how complex and broad it is to look at everyday things.

After re-reading the expressions several times, it is easy to find the subtext and veiled message that the author wanted to convey to the reader.

Constant epithets

Many people wonder what permanent, established epithets are. This is a beautiful definition that is associated with the word and forms an inextricable, stable connection with it.

In fact, these are phrases that are fixed in the language and came into literature from folklore. Most often they are adjectives.

Definition of epithet, examples

Many examples of these stable phrases can be easily found in fairy tales and epics. As a rule, this is the highest quality in the item being described. They fit organically into the meaning of the works.

Constant epithets describe the idealized world of the work, its perfection. They are also used in songs for lyrical appreciation.

Their use occurs systematically, they quietly take root in speech. For example:

red maiden;
sugar lips;
the sun is clear;
gray bunny;
Golden autumn;
white hands;
biting frost;
clear field.

They are used so often that they lose their original meaning. But their main use was in folk art.

Examples of epithets

The linguistic term “means of expression” is a certain combination of several words that form one whole.

This term describes words artistically. He:

defines features and qualities;
creates an impression;
expresses the emotionality of the author;
conveys mood;
describes the image;
evaluates and characterizes.

Types of epithets

The following types are distinguished:

Sustainable or poetic. Most often they find their use in folklore, as well as in poems.
Figurative or descriptive.
Lyrical, emotionally charged.
Double, triple.
Metaphorical.
Metanomic.

Types of epithets

Important! Epithets are the main building blocks that the author uses to create the artistic world of a work. With their help, you can plunge into the atmosphere of the poem and become a witness of the era.

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Let's sum it up

When the author gives the simplest words unusual features, he emphasizes the brightness and expressiveness of the story he wants to tell. This technique gives volume to the word and expression, and a process of emotional evaluation occurs.

With the help of colorful definitions, the world that a writer or poet creates becomes alive and tangible. After reading such a work, a person can easily imagine the world and the described atmosphere based on figurative words.

(“fun noise”), numeral (second life).

An epithet is a word or an entire expression, which, due to its structure and special function in the text, acquires some new meaning or semantic connotation, helps the word (expression) gain color and richness. It is used both in poetry (more often) and in prose.

Without having a definite position in the theory of literature, the name “epithet” is applied approximately to those phenomena that are called a definition in syntax, and an adjective in etymology; but the coincidence is only partial.

Theorists do not have an established view of the epithet: some attribute it to figures, others place it, along with figures and tropes, as an independent means of poetic depiction; some identify the epithets decorative and permanent, others separate them; Some consider the epithet to be an element of exclusively poetic speech, others find it in prose as well.

This “oblivion of real meaning,” in the terminology of A. N. Veselovsky, is already a secondary phenomenon, but the very appearance of a constant epithet cannot be considered primary: its constancy, which is usually considered a sign of epic, epic worldview, is the result of selection after some diversity.

It is possible that in the era of the most ancient (syncretistic, lyric-epic) song creativity this constancy did not yet exist: “only later did it become a sign of that typically conventional - and class - worldview and style, which we consider, somewhat one-sidedly, to be characteristic of epic and folk poetry."

Epithets can be expressed by different parts of speech (Mother Volga, wind-tramp, bright eyes, damp earth). Epithets are a very common concept in literature; without them it is impossible to imagine a single work of art.

Notes

Rhetorical figures
Figures speeches
Trails

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Synonyms:

See what “Epithet” is in other dictionaries:

Epithet- EPITHET (Greek Επιθετον, appended) is a term of stylistics and poetics, denoting the word definition accompanying the word being defined. Tradition, dating back to ancient views, distinguishes between a “necessary epithet” (epitheton necessarium) and... ... Dictionary of literary terms

- (Greek, epi on, tithemi I place). An apt definition, in the interests of figurativeness, attached to some word and indicating its essential feature. Eg. The sea is blue, the forests are dark. Dictionary of foreign words included in... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Cm … Synonym dictionary

epithet- a, m. épithète f. gr. epithetos attached. The simplest form of poetic trope, which is a definition that characterizes what kind of person. property, feature of an object, concept, phenomenon. ALS 1. Often from a change, omission or... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

EPITHET, epithet, husband. (Greek epitheton, lit. attached). One of the visual poetic means is a definition attached to the name of an object for greater imagery (lit.). Constant epithets of folk poetry (for example, blue sea, open field) ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

EPITHET- (epithet). Any word in a name that follows the generic name. cm … Terms of botanical nomenclature

- (Greek epitheton, literally attached), trope, figurative definition (expressed mainly by an adjective, but also by an adverb, noun, numeral, verb), giving an additional artistic characteristic of the subject... ... Modern encyclopedia

- (Greek epitheton lit. attached), trope, figurative definition (expressed mainly by an adjective, but also an adverb, noun, numeral, verb), giving an additional artistic characteristic of an object (phenomenon) in the form of ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

EPITHET, a, m. In poetics: figurative, artistic definition. Constant e. (in folk literature, for example, blue sea, golden curls). Unflattering e. (translated: about a disapproving characterization of someone or something). Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Greek epiJetoV superimposed, attached) term of literary theory: a definition of a word that affects its expressiveness. The content of this term is not stable and clear enough, despite its common use. The convergence of literary history... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. This article is devoted to one of the most common techniques in literature, which makes any text more vivid and interesting. We're talking about epithets.

Today you will find out the answers to the questions:

- what it is
- what parts of speech can act as epithets
- what types are they divided into?
- and, of course, you will see just a sea of examples of epithets from literature and poetry.

What is an epithet - examples and definition

It's always worth starting with a definition of the term, it seems to me:

But to better explain what it is, it’s best to immediately give an example. Here is the famous poem by Afanasy Fet:

On an evening so GOLDEN and CLEAR,
In this breath of all-victorious spring
Do not remind me, oh my BEAUTIFUL friend,
You are talking about our timid and poor love.

See the six highlighted words? Now imagine what the same quatrain would look like, but without them:

On an evening like this
In this breath of spring
Don't remind me, oh my friend,
You are about our love.

The essence of the message has not changed much. The author is still sad about past feelings. But you must admit, our feelings are already different. And the picture as a whole is not so bright, and the depth of feelings is no longer the same. And all because those same epithets were removed from the text.

It is the epithets make each image more complete:

the evening is GOLDEN AND CLEAR - a picture of a sunset immediately appears before your eyes, and there is not a cloud in the sky;
ALL-VICTORIOUS spring - the beginning of something new, changes for the better, a sign that old disappointments will soon be a thing of the past;
BEAUTIFUL friend - emphasizing that the author has maintained a good attitude towards the one to whom the message is addressed;
TIMID and POOR love - the understanding that feelings were initially doomed to failure for some reason, and this makes the relationship even sadder.

And now, after this analysis, I hope the definition of “epithet” will sound more clear.

An epithet is a word with ancient Greek roots that literally translates as “application.” Its purpose is to emphasize the words adjacent to it, to give them an emotional connotation, enhance their meaning, emphasize imagery. But the most important thing is to make the proposal more beautiful.

Epithet constructions

Most often, adjectives act as epithets., with the help of which they decorate a noun. Here are the simplest examples:

dead night - not just night, but very dark, impenetrable;
black melancholy - the most sad state;
sugar lips - lips that are impossible not to kiss;
hot kiss - a kiss full of passion;
nerves of steel - a person cannot be unbalanced.

By the way, some people mistakenly believe that any adjective can be considered an epithet. This is wrong! It all depends on in what context and what noun they refer to, and whether they fulfill main function - strengthening the image.

Judge for yourself - the difference between the expressions “warm home” and “warm attitude”. In the first case, it is simply a statement of the fact that there is heating in the room, and in the second, it is emphasized that there are good relationships between people.

Or compare “red marker” and “red sunrise.” In both cases we are talking about color. But in the first it is simply a statement of fact, and in the second the beauty of the moment of sunrise is more vividly conveyed.

However, not only adjectives, but also other parts of speech can act as epithets. For example, adverbs:

The grass was blooming FUN. (Turgenev)
And I complain BITTERLY, and I shed BITTER tears. (Pushkin)

Or nouns. Example:

A golden cloud spent the night on the chest of a GIANT cliff (Lermontov)
SPRING of honor, our idol. (Pushkin)
It’s as if MOTHER Volga ran backwards. (Tolstoy)

Or pronouns, with which you can give words an excellent form. For example:

Do you remember combat fights? Yes, they say, WHAT MORE! (Lermontov)

Or participial phrases. Example:

What if, enchanted, I HAVE BREAKED THE THREAD OF CONSCIOUSNESS... (Block)
LEAF RINGING AND DANCING IN THE SILENCE OF CENTURIES. (Krasko)

PLAYING HIDE AND HIDE, the sky comes down from the attic. (Parsnip)
As if frolicking and playing, it rumbles in the blue sky. (Tyutchev)

See epithets can be absolutely any part of a sentence, with the possible exception of verbs. But they all serve the same purpose - to make the text more imaginative and rich.

Types of epithets - decorative, permanent, copyright

Despite the common goals, all epithets can be divided into several categories:

decorating (they are also called general language);
permanent (folk-poetic);
copyright (individual).

Decorating epithets- This is the largest group. This includes any combination that describes the characteristics of something. Many of the expressions can be found not only in literary works, we regularly use them in everyday life:

DEADLY silence, TENDER sea, LEAD clouds, piercing wind, CRACKING frost, GENIUS solution, FUNNY colors and many others.

Go to category constant epithets include phrases that, after many years, have become firmly entrenched in people’s minds. They have even become part of our speech, and the words are no longer pronounced separately (or extremely rarely):

A GOOD fellow, a HANDSOME maiden, a CLEAR field, a CLEAR month, GOLDEN autumn, WHITE RUNS, DENSE forest, INCREDIBLE riches and so on.

By the way, if you noticed, many of the constant epithets are right away - or with songs. That is why their second name is folk poetic.

MARMALADE mood. (Chekhov)
TRANSPARENT flattery NECKLACE, GOLDEN rosary of wisdom. (Pushkin)
The face of the THOUSAND EYES trust. (Mayakovsky)
FUCKING indifference. (Pisarev)

The meaning of epithets for literature and language in general

Not a single literary work can do without epithets (and). If they don't exist, then the text will turn out dry and lifeless, and it definitely won’t be able to captivate the reader. Therefore, the more the author uses them, the better.

But in our everyday speech we should not forget about such techniques. For example, exchanging SMS or messages on social networks. After all, the simple question “How are you?” You can simply answer “Fine”, or you can also “Fine, it was a hot day, but I was tired as a dog.”

In the first case, it will be just dry information, but in the second, the interlocutor will also know your emotional state, which is much more important.

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

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What is an epithet and how to find it?

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An epithet is a poetic device that gives a word definition or expression. Used in artistic texts, sometimes in poetic and lyrical works.
The purpose of the epithet will be to emphasize something special, its special expressiveness, which the author wants to draw attention to.

The use of such an artistic technique allows the author to add subtlety, depth and expressiveness to the text. An epithet is used to denote the author’s creative intent (see).

Simple and combined epithets

simple - there is one adjective, an epithet for the word, for example: silk curls, deep eyes;
fused - they have two or more roots and are perceived as one whole, for example: wonderfully mixed noise.

There is such a thing as an epithet of authorship, which is less common than others. Gives the sentence a unique meaning and additional expressiveness. When you see such texts in front of you, you begin to understand how complex and broad the writer’s worldview is.

The presence of epithets in the presentation gives a feeling of special semantic depth, which is filled with irony, bitterness, sarcasm and bewilderment.

Epithets help add brightness to images

Types of epithets

In Russian, the epithet is divided into three types:

General language

The norm of literary phrases. There are about 210 epithets for the word “silence”: dull, exciting, deathly, sensitive.
Common linguistic epithets are:

comparative. They are used to compare and liken one object to another (a dog's bark, a bear's gaze, a cat's purr);
anthropomorphic. It is based on the transfer of human properties and characteristics of objects to a natural phenomenon, for example: a gentle breeze, a smiling sun, a sad birch tree;
intensifyingly tautological. They repeat and intensify the signs of the object: soft cotton wool, soundless in silence, serious danger;

Folk poetic

Such epithets appeared thanks to oral folk art. Basically, the folklore flavor has been preserved. Unlike others, they are limited in compatibility: blue river, orange sun, brown bear.

Individually-authored

A rare semantic association. Basically, they are not reproduced, but have an occasional character, for example: chocolate mood, chamomile laughter, stone thunder.
Such combinations do not fit into the framework of general literary norms, but they create an animated effect and enhance expressiveness.

Constant

When the techniques are used in set phrases, for example: distant kingdom, good fellow. When writing fiction, authors use:

evaluative epithets (unbearable heat, lost feelings);
descriptive (tired heart);
emotional (dull autumn, sad time).

Thanks to epithets, an artistic phrase becomes more expressive.

How to find epithets in text?

Let's try to figure out what epithets are in the Russian language and how to recognize them in writing? They are placed immediately after the word being defined.

To achieve depth in the story and enhance the specificity of the sound, the authors place the epithets in a vertical position, that is, they are separated from each other. Famous Russian poets, when writing poems, placed them at the end of the line. When reading such works, the reader felt a sense of mystery.
To identify them in a work of art, you need to remember that they are different parts of speech. They are used as an adjective: the golden laughter of bells, the mysterious sounds of a violin.

It can also be found in the form of an adverb, for example: prayed fervently. Often they take the form of a noun (evening of disobedience); numeral (third hands).
For brevity, statements can be used as participles and verbal adjectives (what if I, pensive, can you come back?), and gerunds.

Epithets in literature

What is an epithet in literature? An important element that is impossible to do without when writing works of art. To write a compelling story that will attract the reader, it is important to resort to such techniques. When there are a lot of them in the text, this is also bad.

When a certain image, object or phenomenon is described by epithets, they will become more expressive. They have other goals, namely:

emphasize a characteristic feature or property of an object that is described in the presentation, for example: blue sky, wild animal;
explain and clarify the sign that will help distinguish this or that object, for example: leaves are purple, crimson, gold;
used as a basis for creating something comic, for example. The authors combine words that have contrasting meanings: light brunette, bright night;
allow the writer to express his opinion on the phenomenon being described;
help to inspire the subject, for example: the first ringing of spring rumbles, rumbles in the dark blue sky;
create an atmosphere and evoke the necessary emotions, for example: alien and lonely in everything;
to form in readers their own opinion on what is happening, for example: a small scientist, but a pedant;

Epithets are often used in poems, stories, novels and short stories. They make them lively and exciting. They evoke in readers their emotions about what is happening.

It is safe to say that without epithets, literature would not fully exist.

Epithets in metaphor

In addition to the forms of epithets, they are divided according to the following characteristics:

metaphorical. The epithet is based on an artistic device such as a metaphor, for example: a light winter drawing, autumn gold, barren birch trees;
metonymic. Their goal is to create a metonymic essence for the subject, for example: birch, cheerful language, its hot, scratching silence.

Mornings can be different and epithets will help

If you use such techniques in your story, the reader will be able to perceive the described objects and phenomena more powerfully and vividly. In everyday life, art and fiction, epithets play an important role.

The term "epithet" comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "adjective", "application". This is an emotionally expressive, figurative characteristic of an event, person, phenomenon or object, expressed mainly by an adjective that has an allegorical meaning. After reading this article, you will learn what an epithet is in literature. We will tell you about its varieties and features of use. We will also present examples of epithets from fiction.

The meaning of epithets

Without them, our speech would be inexpressive and poor. After all, the perception of information simplifies figurative speech. It is not only possible to convey a message about a fact in one apt word, but also to describe the emotions that it evokes and its meaning.

Epithets may differ in the degree of expression of a certain characteristic and in the strength of conveyed emotions. For example, if we say “the water is cold,” we will only convey approximate information about its temperature. And if you use the phrase “icy water,” you can convey, along with basic information, emotions, sensations, associations with piercing, prickly cold.

Typically, an epithet in a sentence performs the syntactic function of definition. It can therefore be considered a figurative definition.

Epithets in artistic descriptions

Epithets are especially important in artistic descriptions, since they not only record the objective properties and phenomena of objects. The main goal is to express the author’s attitude towards what is depicted. Defining an epithet in literature is an important task for school students. This is one of the tasks included in the Unified State Exam. To better understand this topic, let's look at examples. Thus, in Tyutchev’s poem “There is in the primordial autumn” the following epithets are used: “wonderful time”, “radiant evenings”, “crystal day”, “cheerful sickle”, “fine hair of the cobweb”, “idle furrow”.

In it, seemingly objective, ordinary definitions, such as “thin hair”, “short season”, are epithets, since they convey the poet’s emotional perception of early autumn. They are accompanied by metaphorical, bright ones: “radiant evenings”, “crystal day”, “on an idle furrow”, “cheerful sickle”. This is what an epithet is in literature using the example of Tyutchev’s poem.

The difference between epithets and ordinary definitions

Various parts of speech can be epithets, but at the same time they must perform the functions of definitions in a sentence (participles, adjectives), circumstances of the manner of action (adverbs, adverbs) or be appendix nouns.

Unlike conventional definitions, epithets always express the individuality of their author. Finding a bright, successful figurative definition for a prose writer or poet means precisely determining your unique, inimitable view of a person, phenomenon, or object.

Constant epithets

In folk poetry alien to personal authorship, the so-called constant epithets are widespread: “clean field”, “black clouds”, “good horse”, “straight road”, “silk stirrup”, “blue sea”, “fair maiden”, “companion” “good”, etc. They indicate a typical feature of some object. Often, constant epithets do not take into account the situation in which they appear: a horse is not always “kind”, and the sea, for example, is not always “blue”. But for a storyteller or singer, semantic contradictions like these are not a hindrance.

In the works of various writers who relied on the traditions of folklore, various constant epithets are certainly used. For example, a lot of them can be found in the poems “Who Lives Well in Rus'” by N. A. Nekrasov and “Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov” by M. Yu. Lermontov, as well as in Yesenin’s poems. Lermontov is especially consistent in the use of constant epithets.

They are present in almost every line of his poem: above the “golden-domed”, “great” Moscow, the “white-stone” Kremlin wall, “behind the blue mountains”, “behind the distant forests”, “gray clouds”, “dawn scarlet" and others. All these figurative definitions were taken by Mikhail Yuryevich from the dictionary of folk poetry.

Commonly used and author's epithets

In addition, epithets are divided into commonly used ones, familiar and understandable to everyone, and author’s ones (unique ones, which are usually found among different writers). An example of a commonly used one is almost any descriptive definition taken from everyday life: “a boring book,” “a dress of cheerful colors,” etc. We will find author’s definitions in fiction, most of them in poetry. V. Khlebnikov, for example, has the “fiery sail of the tail” of a fox. V. Mayakovsky has the “thousand-eyed trust”.

Examples of epithets from fiction

Emotional epithets and other means of expression are used in literature much more widely and more often than in everyday speech. After all, it is important for poets and writers to stimulate the empathy of readers and listeners. This is one of the components necessary for co-creation. This, of course, is the creation and then reading by the reader of any talented work of art. Epithets are often used not only in poetry, but also in prose.

Examples from literature can be given by opening the novel “Fathers and Sons.”

The following epithets are found in it (at the end of the work): “dry leaf”, “sad and dead”, “cheerful and alive”, heart “rebellious”, “sinful”, “passionate”, “look serenely”, “eternal peace” , “great tranquility”, “indifferent nature”, “eternal reconciliation”.

Poetry shows us many examples of how various epithets set the tone of a story and create a mood. They are used more often than all other tropes. For example, in the poem “The Forest King” by Zhukovsky: “pearl streams”, “turquoise flowers”, “cast from gold” and other epithets. Examples from literature presented in the works of A. A. Fet: “golden and clear” evening, “all-victorious spring”, “my beautiful friend”, about “timid and poor” love. For A. Akhmatova: the taste is “bitter and intoxicating”, peace “lasts many weeks”.

Epithets are part of a complex syntactic structure

In prose and poetry, the role of epithets can be realized in the following way: when they are part of some complex syntactic structure. The whole thing should also not only convey the author’s idea to the reader, but also enrich it emotionally. For example, in the work “The Master and Margarita” by Bulgakov, the writer, depicting how the procurator Pontius Pilate leaves Herod’s palace, strings epithets on each other, setting the rhythm of this segment of the text. At the same time, he uses figurative definitions that not only describe gait and color, but also convey information behind the text. Symbolically bloody, and not just the red lining of the cloak. And the epithets used to describe the gait indicate the past of its owner, the fact that today he has retained the bearing of a military man. Others are descriptions of the circumstances of time and place.

Other examples can be given from various episodes of this work.

Territorial features of epithets

We found out what an epithet is in literature. Let us now note some features of this means of expression. Culturally and historically, epithets have undergone changes over time. They were also influenced by the geography of the people who created them. The conditions in which we live, the experiences we receive throughout our lives - all this influences the feelings and meanings encoded in images of speech.

For example, it is widely known that residents of the Far North have dozens of epithets to define the word “white.” The peoples of tropical islands are unlikely to be able to come up with one or two.

Or the color black, which has diametrically opposite meanings in different cultures. So, it symbolizes grief and mourning in Europe, and joy in Japan. Therefore, Europeans traditionally wear black clothes for funerals, and the Japanese - for weddings. The role of epithets used in the speech of Japanese and Europeans is changing accordingly.

Evolution

It is also curious that in the early stages of the development of folklore and literature, figurative definitions did not so much express various emotions, but rather literally described objects and phenomena in terms of key features and physical properties. There were also epic exaggerations. Enemy armies in Russian epics, for example, are always “countless”, monsters are “filthy”, forests are “dense”, and when describing heroes, such an epithet from fiction and folklore as “good fellows” is certainly used.

Epithets change with the development of literature, and their role in works also changes. As a result of evolution, they became more complex semantically and structurally. Particularly interesting examples are found in postmodern prose and poetry of the Silver Age.

So, we talked about what an epithet means in literature. Examples from poetry and prose were presented. We hope the meaning of the word “epithet” in literature is now clear to you.