Philology

One cannot penetrate into the essence of a literary work without having sufficient knowledge of the language in which it is written.

Thus, the ability to write and to translate, go side by side and are inseparable when studying foreign literature. Language-learning, like all other arts, contrasts with science. True, it concerns the process of learning the grammatical systems of a foreign language, but it also requires a talent for use of the language. Proficiency in understanding the structure of a language is attained by treating the subject as a science, by studying the theory. Later, second language learners build their interest in the subject by linguistic observations and analyses.

Studying English, one develops both proficiency and an understanding of its structure. The latter can only come as a result of perfectly formed habits. By mastering the foreign language, we come to understand our mother tongue much better.

The traditional beginnings of Russian literature are well known. They consist of the teaching kindness, conscientiousness, a keen sense of justice, truth and hope. It is only natural that great men of letters followed the path in literature revealed by great Russian writers such as Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Chechov and Turgenev.

Looking at the trends in modern literature, one can see that never before has literature spoken about man’s destiny with so much alarm. An alarm often rising to the pitch of despair. Modern English and American literature seems to center around problems of misery, anguish and loneliness. These problems should not be treated superficially.

The same themes are approached from different perspectives. These perspectives depend on the artistic personality of the writer. We are trying to see and understand the writer’s personality while reading his books either in translation or in the author’s native language which, in turn, allows us to understand his culture and time. Through the study of Philology, we can best reach an understanding of the world’s languages and cultures.

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