EVALUATION AND EMOTIONAL STANCE IN LITERARY INTENSIFICATION

Abstract

Studies of intensification often begin with degree, but in fiction the matter is wider. An intensified form rarely measures quantity alone. It also registers approval, irritation, sympathy, irony, fear, or distance. This article reviews English, Russian, and Uzbek scholarship in order to clarify the evaluative and emotional work performed by intensification in literary discourse. The reviewed studies suggest that scalar increase and speaker stance are inseparable in narrative prose and dialogue. Intensifiers not only strengthen description; they also position the speaker toward the described event and guide the reader's interpretation of character voice. Such a view is especially useful for cross linguistic comparison because the same semantic increase may be pragmatically warmer, harsher, or more ironic in different traditions.