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Е-issn 81-1466 2 issn 181-6875 2 0 5Bog'liq Sharopova Sh OAK 2LITERARY CRITICISM
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF BUKHARA STATE UNIVERSITY 2024/5 (110)
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as an umbrella term to various types of stories such as “anecdotes”, “recounts”. He considers that “a story”
should minimally involve the sequence of 2 events. [5; 76]
Taking Koay, Newkirk and Kraus’s opinions into account it should be admitted that while writing a
self-help book an author should have the ability to attract, surprise and make a significant influence on the
readers in order to achieve their purposes.
One of the bestsellers of its time “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie belongs
to the books of self-help genre. According to the categorization of Koay Dong Liang the work belongs to the
dimension of Personal growth or growth oriented self-help books. It consist of
advice for building and
improving positive and successful relationships with people in all areas of life. It is not a book only for making
friends, but also as a guidebook which promotes good communication, kindness, and the social skills to foster
healthy and productive working relationships.
If the occurrence and history of the book is studied it became popular because of its pivotal role in
society. People in the period of fast urbanization needed a good job offers, communication, public-speaking
and leadership skills to grab the employers’ attention. And Carnegie was able to navigate the community with
his collection of advice.
As Starker mentioned about the uniqueness of self-help books being anonymous, inexpensive and time
saving this work was considered having all these features by the society at that period. Because it experienced
mass consumption by being sold in vast numbers.
It is written from the first person-narration or from the perspective of the author. The tone and mood of
the book is as optimistic, uplifting and psychologically motivational as he mentioned about the frequent usage
of anecdotes. As it belongs to the group of non-fiction genre, there is not a precise protagonist or antagonist.
But the ideas such as optimistic
benevolent self-interest and pessimistic negative selfishness might be
considered two opposing views fighting against each other. Furthermore major conflict, climax, foreshadowing
can be involved through the abstract notions or opinions, not between the characters as in the fictional works.
Although this book belongs to non-fiction genre one of its important feature as Koay mentioned is the
usage of stories that attracts readers’ attention. By analyzing the stories one may come across different kinds
of literary devices, such as metaphor, hyperbole, allusion or personification throughout reading the book.
For example, in the following passage metaphor is used artistically
"Beginning with praise is like the
dentist who begins his work with Novocain. The patient still gets a drilling, but the Novocain is pain-
killing."
The author wants to indicate that the conversation among people which starts with calling a person
name and giving him a praise is similar to the situation where one may come across during a visit to the doctor.
“Do you ever stop to think that a dog is the only animal that doesn’t have to work for a living? A hen
has to lay eggs, a cow has to give milk, and a canary has to sing. But a dog makes his living by giving you
nothing but love.”
In this example personification is used by the author to add colour to his speech.
Although many historical and fictional names and events are mentioned in the text, they are always
explicated fully rather than existing unexplained as mere allusion.
“Jim applied this lesson, and his customer was so happy he named his first-born son after him!”
“Rebecca impressed her boss so much that he wrote her a check for one million dollars on the spot!” “Frank
did such a good job at the meeting that one of his clients bought him a Ferrari, and another one offered him
his daughter in marriage!”
-in these conclusions (a slight exaggeration) a hyperbole is used to impress the
readers with great results. The reader may find stunning and unexpected events like these examples as Newkirk
mentioned in his book about incidents, facts and consequences.
Due to Koays findings the sequences of several events could be faced while reading “How to win Fiends
and Influence People”. The author mainly focuses the readers attention only one theme (
not getting your way
versus getting your way
), but by giving several stories, events from the life of various people as an example.
He tries to illustrate his point.
Thus, we should consider story telling as crucial factor in the self-help books according to Koay’s idea.
To persuade readers that the solutions they recommend are effective, they construct their message as being
popular and include stories of people who are “successful” as a result of following the authors’ advice. Like
children’s literature, self-improvement authors tell stories for pedagogical purposes. In self-improvement
books, stories illustrate the message that readers can improve their lives. Although self-improvement authors
have a different message from preachers, both use stories for illustrative purposes.
Constructing themselves as experts, authors of self-improvement books present their advice in the body
chapters.
[5;81-86]
So does Carnegie.
In the very first chapter, just a few pages in, after first explicating through example,
Carnegie writes: “Criticism is futile” and “Criticism is dangerous.” This observation or assertion foreshadows
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