Mechanisms of transformation of the stereotypical portrayal of the murderer within the author’s conceptual sphere (based on T. Capote’s “In cold blood”)

Abstract

Within the scope of the article, the cognitiveapproach to the analysis of the literary text has been applied to achieve a deep-layer interpretation of the purport of the text and the author’s message to the readers.By using such cognitive structures as frames for knowledge representation, we try to model the concept of ‘violence’ focusing mainly on the frame of the ‘murderer’ with the aim ofzooming deeper into the authorial portrayal of the murderer and comparing it with the stereotypical perception of the killer. The frame of the ‘murderer’ has been thoroughly examined in the author’s literary text with the purpose of revealing the author’s perception of the concept of ‘violence’ in a broader sense.This, in its turn, serves as a means of disclosing the transformations the frame of the ‘murderer’ undergoes within the author’s individual conceptual sphere. The thorough analysis of the stylistic devices employed by the author helps us to explore in depth the mechanisms of transformation through the prism of oppositions and bring to light the author’s conceptual sphere and individual worldview.