edification

The paper deals with edifications expressed in Armenian fables of the XII–XIII centuries. These narratives describe common situations of overcoming serious difficulties, interrelations between authorities and people, and paradoxical unpredictability of existence. Three main topics presented in the narratives have been analyzed – the attitudes to the world, to authorities and to human character.

The paper deals with ironic edification – autosemantic utterances which contain critical evaluation of human shortcomings expressed in derisive assertion of absurd, or pretentious, or malicious behavior certain people manifest. They make a specific class of proverbs, aphorisms, and miniatures of modern network discourse. They are heterogeneous and vary from profound observations of human character up to banalities used to amuse a down-home partner, from witty phrases up to acid black humour.