THE ROLE OF STYLISTIC DEVICES IN MODERN UZBEK AND ENGLISH LITERARY TEXTS

Abstract

The present study explores the functional role of stylistic devices in Uzbek and English literary texts with a focus on metaphor, simile, epithet, and personification. The research is motivated by the need to highlight cultural and linguistic specificities that remain underrepresented in comparative philological scholarship. A qualitative comparative method was applied, analyzing selected works of Uzbek writers (Alisher Navoi, Abdulla Qodiriy, Erkin Vohidov) and English authors (William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Virginia Woolf). The analysis revealed that while metaphors and epithets are common to both literatures, their symbolic representations differ, reflecting agrarian traditions in Uzbek culture and philosophical or socio-political themes in English texts. Similes in Uzbek literature are strongly rooted in folklore, whereas English literature employs broader thematic analogies. Personification in Uzbek texts highlights harmony with nature, while English works often depict conflict between individuals and external forces. These findings demonstrate that stylistic devices are not only aesthetic tools but also markers of cultural identity and worldviews. The study contributes to translation studies by emphasizing the need for cultural adaptation of stylistic imagery and offers pedagogical insights for teaching philology through comparative stylistics. Future research should extend to contemporary authors and employ corpus-based computational stylistics for larger-scale analysis.