VERBALISING DISGUST AND DISILLUSIONMENT: A PRAGMA-STYLISTIC STUDY OF EMOTIVE UNITS IN LESSING'S THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK

This pragma-stylistic study analyses how emotive units verbalise disgust and disillusionment in Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook (1962). Drawing on emotivity theory (Shakhovsky, 2008), Appraisal theory (Martin & White, 2005), the functional semantics of evaluation (Wolf, 1985), speech-act theory (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1976), the strategy model of communication (Issers, 2011; Safarov & Toirova, 2007), and the stylistics of thought presentation (Leech & Short, 2007), it shows that disgust is realised as affect—somatic, intensified, and self-directed—while disillusionment is realised as negative judgement of people and institutions and negative appreciation of art and society. In dialogue, disclosing such emotion builds solidarity and a restored “safe tone” performs facework; in the notebooks, fragmented syntax enacts a fragmented consciousness. Negative emotion proves as purpose-driven as positive emotion.