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About “Ravshan”. The artistic image and exaggeration

Lessons 24–25 · 2 lessons · Q. Yo‘ldoshev, B. Qosimov, V. Qodirov, J. Yo‘ldoshbekov. Literature, Grade 7. “Sharq” publishing house, Tashkent, 2017 (revised 4th edition)
25

The artistic image and exaggeration

Textbook: pp. 165–167
GoalDistinguish the artistic image, main and episodic images, and exaggeration.
New words
image, character · obraz (timsol)main hero · bosh qahramonepisodic character · epizodik qahramonexaggeration · mubolag‘a
Explanation

The main subject of literature is the human being, so the concept of the image is central in literary studies. In the narrow sense an image is a human figure created in a work; in the broad sense it is a picture of life infused with the creator’s thought and feeling. Images that take part from beginning to end are main, and those found in only one or two places are episodic: in “Ravshan”, Ravshan, Zulxumor and Hasanxon are main images while Oqqiz is an episodic one. Exaggeration (mubolag‘a) shows a trait of a person or thing larger than it is; its extreme form is called bulug‘ or ifrot, and an incredible one g‘ulu. Exaggeration is used especially often in folk dastans.

Worked examples
Example: “The wrestler could split a rock with one fist” is an exaggeration (physical strength shown bigger than real).
Example: a merchant who appears once in three pages is an episodic image.
Class activity

From a work you know, find one main and two episodic characters and say why.

Practice
1
What is the narrow meaning of “image”?
2
Which images in “Ravshan” are main?
3
What is an episodic character?
4
Why is exaggeration needed?