The compositional and semantic structure of a complex syntactic unity in "Poems in Prose" by I. S. Turgenev

Abstract

The article describes complex syntactic unities (CSU) as text units that constitute part of the lyrical miniatures "Sparrow" and "Pigeons" from the cycle "Poems in Prose" by I. S. Turgenev. The study employed the structural-semantic and comparative-contrastive analysis in conjunction with the descriptive-analytical method to determine and characterise the compositional and semantic structure of complex syntactic unities and their functional-semantic organisation. Additionally, the research identified lexical, lexico-grammatical, and grammatical means of interphrasal connection within the CSU. The paper concludes that I. S. Turgenev’s "Poems in Prose" are diverse in terms of composition and content. The miniature "Sparrow" consists of two CSUs built according to the classical three-part scheme (beginning, middle part, ending). In the miniature "Pigeons", only the first and the last CSUs have the three-part structure. The paper examines interphrasal means of connection such as common, characteristic of the CSUs in both miniatures, and individual, specific only to some CSUs. Each means of interphrasal connection conforms to the content, general idea, and artistic organisation of Turgenev’s poems.