ritual

Stage directions of the first plays of Russian drama in many respects are directed towards the understanding of ritual actions of the court culture. But at the same time they are forming a ramified system of non-verbal actions designation. J.G. Gregory’s plays «The Comedy of Artaxerxes» and «Judith», having absorbed in themselves the originality of national notions about theatricality and principles of European stage performances, demonstrated how swiftly the dramatic art was mastering functional and plot-related opportunities of stage direction descriptiveness.

The article deals with a specific type of etiquette statements – condolences. The first part analyzes the pragmatic conditions for making the relevant speech acts, then the author covers the language operators which generate and modify the sense elements of condolences. The paper concludes with a view on indirect ways of expressing condolences.

The article discloses the images of a fairytale character Cinderella in the literary heritage of Western Europe and the East. The comparative analysis of the character’s external and internal qualities is carried out, the relation between fairy tales and myth-ritual basis is ascertained, totemic motives of the characters are examined.