Письмо в редакцию как высказывание литературного журнала .......... 93

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR AS A STATEMENT BY A LITERARY JOURNAL

This article analyzes the pragmatic function of reader letters published in “thick” literary journals and their role in ideological opposition and the formation of group identity. The study focuses on the transformation of an individual reader’s statement into a collective statement by the publication. The methodological basis is an integrative approach combining P. Brown and S. Levinson’s theory of politeness, discourse analysis, and S. T. Zolyan’s pragmasemantic approach. In patriotic discourse, polite expressions (gratitude, compliments, assurances of loyalty) work to create an idealized image of the publication as a “bastion” of traditional values, while overt aggression toward opponents serves as a way to demonstrate solidarity with “one’s own”. In liberal discourse, polite expressions are often used as a tool of hidden, veiled criticism and irony, creating the effect of false politeness. A published letter to the editor acquires a dual nature: it is simultaneously the statement of an individual reader and a tool of metacommunication for the journal. In this case, the individual subject of the letter is absorbed into the collective — the magazine and its community — and the meaning of the utterance is generated by ready-made socio-cultural scenarios characteristic of each type of discourse.