American Journal Of Philological Sciences
43
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
43-46
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue05-13
Reflections on The History of Studying the Poetics of
Prose Works in Literary Studies
Raxmonova Xurshida
Senior Lecturer at Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Literature, PhD in Philological Sciences, Uzbekistan
Received:
12 March 2025;
Accepted:
08 April 2025;
Published:
10 May 2025
Abstract:
Poetics is one of the significant means of belles-lettres fiction. The concept of poetics is considered as
widely encircled notion in literary criticism. The article studies theoretical investigations on poetics by the world,
russian, uzbek scientists in literature and basically analyses the stories by Khurshid Dustmuhammad. Particularry,
the article deals with high artistic value of images, their general and special peculiarities metaphoric features of
prose in the stories.
Keywords:
Theoretical poetics, scientific image, artistic image, figurativeness, figurative thoughts, artistic
generalisation, individualism, traditional metaphors, individual metaphors, aesthetic ideal, the feelings of
character, the concept of fiction.
Introduction:
Throughout the development of world
literary studies, the term poetics has been used in
various meanings across different eras. In ancient
literary studies, poetics was used to refer to the general
science of literature. A prime example of this is
Aristotle’s work Poetics. This work is considered one of
the earliest sources addressing theoretical issues
concerning literary works and their language. It
contains information about the early theory of realism
in Greek literature. Our great compatriot Abu Nasr al-
Farabi, influenced by this work, wrote his treatise On
the Laws of the Art of Poetry. Later, issues such as the
essence, purpose, and functions of art, and its
relationship with reality, became the domain of
philosophical aesthetics. During the Middle Ages, the
Renaissance, and the era of Classicism, poetics focused
on the study of poetic devices and techniques of artistic
speech.
METHODOLOGY
Today, poetics (from Greek poietike
–
the art of poetry)
is understood as the science concerning the system of
expressive means in literary works. In a broader sense,
poetics corresponds to the concept of literary theory.
As a branch of literary theory, poetics studies the
characteristics of literary genres and types, literary
movements and schools, styles and methods, and
investigates the internal connections and interrelations
between various levels of artistic expression.
Therefore, we can regard poetics, in a broader sense,
as a field that studies the principles of literary science.
“Poetics (from the Greek: the art of creation) in a broad
sense is literary theory; in a narrower, more commonly
used sense today, it is a component of literary theory,
a doc
trine about the literary work.” If we consider
poetics as a component of literary theory, it aligns with
the perspective we intend to advance.
Poetics consists of three main parts: Theoretical
(general) poetics; Descriptive (specific) poetics
Historical poetics. Theoretical poetics studies the
artistic devices and construction principles of any
literary work, including systems of imagery, plot,
composition, motivation, structure of verse and
stanzas, and the methods by which the author’s intent
is realized depending on genre and literary type. The
term theoretical poetics was introduced into
scholarship by A. A. Potebnya. His work Theoretical
Poetics substantiates this idea.
Descriptive poetics identifies the specific features of
works by individual authors or particular eras and
literary movements. Historical poetics, on the other
hand, investigates the development of artistic devices
(figurative expressions, forms, rhyme) and categories
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
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2771-2273)
(artistic representations of time, space, rhythm). The
emergence of historical poetics is closely tied to A. N.
Veselovsky, whose views are reflected in his work
Historical Poetics.
The science of poetics, an inseparable part of literature,
has been significantly advanced by theorists such as
Aristotle, F. Hegel, J. C. Scaliger, L. Castelvetro, T. Tasso,
B. Johnson, J. Chaplain, V. Belinsky, P. Corneille, N.
Boileau, A. N. Veselovsky, A. A. Potebnya, V. E.
Kholishev, B. V. Tomashevsky, V. M. Zhirmunsky, M.
Bakhtin, among others.
One of the philosophical scholars, Aristotle, authored
Poetics (On the Art of Poetry) and Rhetoric, which are
considered the earliest works of literary theory in the
world. In this book, poetry is not understood merely as
modern-day poetry, but as a concept encompassing
universal aesthetic and artistic principles under the
broader meaning of literature. Furthermore, Aristotle
referred to all forms of art as poetry. He explained the
types of poetry (literature) such as drama, epic, and
lyric, distinguished it from science, and analyzed the
genre of tragedy as well as elements like character and
conflict. The philosopher Aristotle wrote:
"In response to the accusation that the poet (creator)
does not depict life as it is, it can be said that the poet
depicts life not just as it is, but as it ought to be.
Sophocles, for example, depicts people as they ought
to be; Euripides depicts them as they are.
RESULTS
The views of German philosopher Friedrich Hegel on art
and artistic creation hold a special place in the
development of poetics. In his book Aesthetics, Hegel
evaluates epic, lyric, and drama. According to him, the
symbolic form belongs to Eastern imagery, while the
classical form pertains to ancient literature, especially
Greece. Hegel argued: "Any work of art belongs to its
era, people, and environment, and is connected with
specific historical and other conceptual goals and
visions."
Since artistic literature concerns humans, it is studied
in inseparable connection with the society, nature, and
existence in which they live. The level of consciousness
of a society is reflected in the literature of every era.
Moreover, artistic literature, through the ideas it
represents, has a powerful emotional impact on
readers, inspiring new perspectives and ideas,
enriching them spiritually, and contributing to the
growth of their consciousness.
In this sense, writers such as Abdulla Qodiriy, Cho‘lpon,
Abdulla Qahhor, Oybek, G‘afur G‘ulom, Odil Yoqubov,
and Khurshid Dustmuhammad are among those who,
while preserving national traditions, also embraced
innovations from world literature and wrote about
specific eras, creating contemporary characters.
The concept of image, which forms the basis of a
literary work, has been a key element of poetics from
ancient times to the present. Indeed, the artistic image
is the means that defines the unique character of all
works of art.
"Through the artistic image, the artist comprehends the
world, expresses the essence they have understood,
and conveys their emotional attitude towards what is
perceived. In this sense, the image is the mode and
method of thinking in literature and art." As Hegel
stated, art and literature are forms of thinking through
images. Discussing the uniqueness of art, especially the
image, Hegel wrote:
“… First, it implies some content —
for instance, a
particular emotion, situation, event, action, or
individual; second, it implies the method of depicting
this content.”
From this it follows that the uniqueness and
individuality of an image are manifested both in the
content it carries and in the methods used to represent
it.
In the history of literary and theoretical views, Russian
critics such as V. Belinsky, A.I. Herzen, N.G.
Chernyshevsky, N.A. Dobrolyubov, and M.E. Saltykov-
Shchedrin represented a distinct stage. They
thoroughly analyzed such features of art as populism,
national identity, originality, ideological and artistic
integrity, and imagery. In the theoretical works of V.G.
Belinsky, the artistic image is considered an important
component of artistic aesthetics. Belinsky wrote the
following about the artistic image:
“The highest subject of art is considered to be the
human being; therefore, the term ‘image’ should be
applied to the human being (i.e., the human
represented in the artistic work). The image is a
generalized and, at the same time, specific depiction of
human life, created through artistic imagination and
bearing aesthetic value.”
In modern literary studies, however, the concept of an
image refers not only to human beings but also to other
living and non-living objects. As literary scholar
Dilmurod Quronov states:
“The artistic image is the reflection of reality (its
objects, events, etc.) in an artistic work.”
Nevertheless, the scholar’s views on universality and
individuality in artistic images resonate with Belinsky’s
ideas:
“When
discussing the characteristics of an artistic
image, it is essential to emphasize first and foremost its
manifestation as an individualized generalization. It is
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
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2771-2273)
known that every object or phenomenon in reality
embodies both general characteristics inherent to its
type and unique features specific only to it.”
An artistic image depicted in a literary work is not
merely the result of generalization; it is also the
product of concretization and individualization. “In this
sense, concreteness is one of the specific
characteristics of the artistic image.” This is because the
writer concretizes the artistic image by portraying its
individual traits, imparting to the image vitality,
realism, and naturalness. This influences the reader’s
emotions and fosters their belief.
Writer Khurshid Dustmuhammad also created a
patriotic image by generalizing the portraits of the
brave sons of the Uzbek people who endured suffering
and hardship during the harsh times of the first half of
the 20th century. Among them are Mirkomilboy in the
story “The Missed Prayer”, Tokhtasinboy in
“Tokhtasinboy’s Wealth”, Abdurauf Fitrat in “The
Flower of Hope”, and Abdullah Qodiriy in the novella
“The Lonely One”. These are progressive, intellectual
individuals of their time. While their characters share
some common features, each of them also possesses
unique qualities, thoughts, aspirations, and dreams,
which highlight the individuality of their images.
Belinsky emphasized that, in creating the image of a
certain nation, the thought patterns, religion, language,
and, importantly, customs of that people play a
significant role:
“Customs are the face of a people; without them, a
people is a faceless image, a vain and unrealized
fantasy,” he wrote.
Among
the
images
created
by
Khurshid
Dustmuhammad, we also encounter characters who
value customs and traditions. These include Qadriya’s
mother in the story “The Cry of the Harmless Bird”,
Mirsayid Toga in “The Breeze”, and Umid in the novella
“The Jug”. These are people who live based on national
and universal human values, considering humanity as
the highest virtue.
Life exists within the artistic word. The word transforms
from a mere tool of communication into an image, the
image into a system of images, the system of images
into artistic reality, and
artistic reality into the creator’s
concept. In transforming a word into an artistic image,
the word bears a significant aesthetic load both in
content and form.
“…It is necessary to distinguish an ordinary scientific
image from an artistic image. If a scientific image first
affects the mind and through the mind the feelings (and
sometimes may not affect the feelings at all), an artistic
image first influences the feelings and through the
feelings influences the mind. The purpose of
emphasizing this obvious axiom is to remind us that
literature also has a cognitive function of its own at its
level.”
From an aesthetic point of view, the word “rest
-
chair”
(“oromkursi”) in everyday life signifies an object, an
item designed for sitting and resting. If we hear this
word naturally and separately, it may seem to have
almost no emotional impact on us. However, if this
word is filled with emotions, pain, and suffering, and is
placed within a life situation, it transforms into a full-
fledged artistic image.
For example, in Khurshid Dustmuhammad’s story “The
Main Street” and the novella “The Rest
-
Chair”, the
wor
d “oromkursi” appears as a companion
-image that
embodies human sorrows and contemplations. The
writer expresses the importance of the rest-chair in the
life of the story’s protagonist, S. Aliyevich:
“…the chair, as before, was not just a work chair, but
had transformed its function into a rest-chair, a
carriage-chair, becoming an even stronger support for
its faithful owner. When S. Aliyevich, exhausted and
trembling from anxiety, his vision dimming, and nearly
fainting, leaned his head and shoulders onto the
carriage-chair, he caught his breath and regained his
composure.
Thus, the rest-chair became a support for the
protagonist during his most painful and difficult
moments.
“As every person is a treasure trove of countless
secrets, so too is the chair they occupy filled with
indescribable, marvelous adventures.”
It should be emphasized that the word “oromkursi”
becomes an integrated image once it interacts with the
character’s inner experiences. Because a simple word
denoting a natural object, when infused with the
creator’s imagination, pain, and emotions, transforms
into a living image that touches the reader’s heart and
feelings.
One of the important characteristics of the artistic
image is its metaphoricity. Literary scholar Bahodir
Sarimsoqov says the following about this:
“Among artistic tropes, metaphor occupies a very
significant place… An artistic depiction and expression
based on metaphorical transfer of meaning acquires an
exceptionally extraordinary character. As a result, the
created imag
e becomes highly impactful.”
Another literary scholar, Dilmurod Quronov, defines it
as follows:
“By ‘metaphoricity,’ we mean the artistic image’s
aspiration to reveal the essence of one thing through
another, reflecting the specific mode of thinking
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
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2771-2273)
inhere
nt to art.”
The writer does not rely on the obvious external
similarity of objects and phenomena in reality but
rather on the hidden internal resemblance unseen by
people. For example:
—
Cholpon finds a connection between the image of
beauty and the idea of human will and freedom;
—
Abdulla Qahhor draws parallels between the
deceptive figures of the amins and police officers and
the thieves;
—
Abdulla Oripov compares the golden fish with
people who live enclosed within their own shells;
—
Said Ahmad finds similarities between the
unconscious predatory wolf and the image of Borivoy,
a man who has become alienated from his homeland,
people, and faith.
Similarly, Khurshid Dustmuhammad, in his story
“Jajman”, discovers a resemblance between the
strange four-legged creature devouring all the food at
the market and the endless desires and greed of
humans
—
this is a product of metaphorical thinking.
Thus, metaphorical depiction, i.e., portraying meaning
through hidden bases, encourages the reader to
activate their intellect in order to grasp the essence and
content of the work and promotes logical thinking
about the text.
Literary scholar Bahodir Sarimsoqov classifies
metaphors into two types:
“1. Traditional metaphors.
2. Individual metaphors.
Traditional metaphors were created long ago and have
become part of the linguistic heritage; writers
frequently refer to them… Individual metaphors,
however, are created for the first time by a particular
author, and their figurative meaning is not widely
known.”
Therefore, in i
ndividual metaphors, the author’s
thinking, attitude toward reality, emotions, and
aesthetic ideal are embodied. Furthermore, assessing
the idea and content of a specific artistic work can be
achieved precisely by correctly understanding these
individual metaphorical images and the emotional
energy embedded within them.
CONCLUSION
We can also encounter individual metaphorical images
in the stories of Khurshid Dustmuhammad. As proof of
this idea, we may cite the images of “jajman” in the
story “Jajman”, the
eagle in “Above the Cliffs”, and the
unopened door in “The Eleventh Door”. Therefore, in
ensuring the artistic quality of a work, along with
ordinary language metaphors, individual metaphors
also play an active role. Individual metaphors stand out
due to their level of transfer, emotional depth,
exceptional imagery, and uniqueness. This type of
metaphor provides the creator with vast opportunities
for drawing profound philosophical and aesthetic
conclusions.
One of the main functions of literature is to assimilate
reality aesthetically and to awaken aesthetic feelings in
the reader. This is achieved through imagery and
figurative thinking. Therefore, the artistic image is a
theoretical concept that has been classified and
interpreted in various ways from ancient times to the
present. Through artistic images, each creator’s
worldview, style, artistic idea, and purpose find their
expression in their works.
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