The Study Of The Concept Of "conscience" In Chekhov's Works

In recent years,concept has become an important object of different disciplines:cognitive linguistics,culturology,literature,psycholinguistics,etc.In linguistic field,special attention is paid to the study of concept,in particular,concept in literature.But so far,in either Russia or China,opinions still greatly vary in academic circles as to the definition of concept.The study of concept in literature can not only reveal the author's personal picture of the world through his language,but also reflects the picture of his national character.As a treasure of Russian literature,the works of Anton Chekhov have been studied by scholars time and again;however,few Chinese scholars are involved in researches on the concept of conscience in the works of Anton Chekhov.Conscience is one of the most important concepts in Russia philosophy.It is the main essence of man.Concerning about moral issues,Anton Chekhov expresses his personal understanding of concept of conscience in his works.The topic of the thesis—the concept of conscience in the works of Anton Chekhov—is of great value theoretically and practically.On one hand,the study reveals the linguistic representation of some basic concepts by providing a model for describing the implementation of the concept in literature,clarifies the understanding of concept of conscience in Russian culture and in Chekhov's opinion.It has important reference value in the studying of Russian concept.On the other hand,the results of this research can be widely used in the teaching of courses,such as Russian linguistics,Russian language and culture,analysis of Russian literary and etc.It is also helpful for Chinese students to study the works of Anton Chekhov.Through the perspective of cognitive linguistics,this thesis firstly explores the Russians' understanding of conscience with the help of different lingual materials,then based on the analysis of Chekhov's works "Drama on hunting","The Duel" and"The story of an unknown man" summarizes the main methods of expression of conscience in the works of Anton Chekhov and his unique understanding of the concept.This thesis consists of an introduction,a main body(containing three chapters),a conclusion and references.The Introduction discusses the major achievements in the study of concept by Chinese and Russian linguists briefly and clarifies the research significance,research perspective,and research method and research purpose of this thesis.The first chapter retrospects the history of concept research and introduces different definitions to conscience and our understanding.It discusses the characteristics of concept in literature,pointing out both its national characteristics and personality,and also suggests a study method of concept in literature.The second chapter describes the lexical meaning of the word conscience in Russian language.Then we analyze various set expressions of conscience in Russian launague and compare it with a number of moral and ethical concepts such as shame,soul,sin,duty,honor,good and evil.At the same time we summarize some set expressions of concept conscience in Russian language.The third chapter presents the ways of expression of conscience in the works of Anton Chekhov:1)by using different words which are formed from the roots of-coeecm-and-cmblo)-;2)by describing the inner world and non-verbal behavior of characters;3)regarding conscience as the second "I" or showing it by other characters.We sum up Chekhov's understanding of concept conscience.He points out the connection of conscience with other concepts,such as duty,loyalty,love.In Chekhov's opinion,the presence or absence of conscience in a man has no relation to his age,occupation,education or social status.In his works,Anton Chekhov connects the concept of conscience with the image of "extra person".He makes a conclusion that the redemption of conscience could be sought only by oneself.The Conclusion summarizes the study of this thesis and gives a prospect for the future study.