| Abstract [eng] |
The aim of this thesis is to analyse two constituents of a literary book, namely, the book cover and the literary work within a book, and to examine how they interact with one another. This is done by using semiotic theory of modalities to analyse a specific object: Balys Sruoga’s memoir Dievų miškas and covers of twenty-three books of this memoir. Semiotic modal theory has barely been used for a visual text analysis. Therefore, this thesis is also aimed at expanding the possibilities of modalities in semiotics. A hypothesis is raised that modal structures can reveal links between the two constituents of a book. Another hypothesis suggests that modal structures can also show the differences of distinct cultures. This is argued by comparing various book covers that represent translated versions of the same literary work. The first chapter of the thesis examines a book in the context of book publishing and marketing, especially when a book enters foreign markets. It also explicates the interaction between cultures in a translated version of a book. The two following chapters deal with theoretical problems related to the book as a semiotic object. The second chapter presents correlations and differences between visual and written texts, examines the ways such texts comprise a book as a single work of art. The third chapter introduces the main points of semiotic modal theory and how it will be used in analysis. The fourth and fifth chapters of the thesis present the actual analyses of Dievų miškas and the book covers, respectively. The analyses reveal that a literary work and a book cover representing it do not necessarily convey the same meaning. The diversity of semiotic subjects discovered in the literary work was not found in any of the book covers. Therefore, it is concluded that book covers represent literary works very briefly not only in figurative, but also in a modal level. It is then stated that such representation in book covers allows to shape ideology that might not be directly related to the literary work and affects the interpretation of it. Previously mentioned hypotheses are confirmed as modal structures were indeed helpful in comparing both the two constituents of a book and the different versions of the same book in different cultures. All this leads to a conclusion that the theory of modal structures can be used more often and in a much wider context than it has been used so far. |
