“The same principle can be seen in a
more consistent form, not in art, but in moralistic and religious texts such as
parables, in myths and in proverbs. Repetitions found their way into proverbs
at a time when they were not yet perceived aesthetically but had a much more
important mnemonic or moralising function.”
-Yuri Lotman
The quotation comes from Yuri Lotman, a prominent Soviet/Russian semiotician and cultural theorist. It appears in his book Universe of the Mind: A Semiotic Theory of Culture. In this passage, Lotman discusses repetition as a structural device in texts. He contrasts its role in "art", especially poetry and literary works, with its appearance in non-artistic, more "practical" or functional genres like parables, myths, and proverbs.
Key
ideas in the quotation
Lotman observes that repetition, for
example, parallel structures, redundant phrasing, rhythmic echoes, or
symmetrical patterns, often appears in artistic texts. In art, such repetition
can be appreciated aesthetically — as beautiful, elegant, or
stylistically striking. It contributes to the poetic function, creating rhythm,
emphasis, parallelism, or other effects that make the text feel
"artistic."
However, he argues that the same
principle, i.e., the structural use of repetition, appears in a more
consistent and purer form outside of art — specifically in:
a. moralistic and religious texts, for example, parables from the Bible or other traditions,
which often use balanced, repeated phrasing to drive home a moral lesson,
b. myths which frequently employ formulaic repetitions to structure
narratives and reinforce cosmic or cultural truths, and
c. proverbs, short, memorable sayings that rely heavily on repetition,
parallelism, rhyme, alliteration, or balanced clauses.
Lotman then explains the historical
and functional reason for this:
"Repetitions found their way
into proverbs at a time when they were not yet perceived aesthetically but had
a much more important mnemonic or moralising function."
In other words:
- Proverbs and similar forms
originated in oral cultures or pre-literate or early-literate societies.
- Repetition was not included
for beauty or artistic pleasure.
Instead, it served practical
purposes:
Mnemonic — to make the saying easier to remember and transmit orally
across generations as the repetition aids memory, like a mental hook.
Moralising — to give the statement greater authority, emphasis, and
persuasive power: the balanced or echoed structure makes the wisdom feel more
universal, inevitable, or divinely sanctioned.
Only later, when viewed
through a modern or literary lens, do these repetitions start to look
"poetic" or aesthetically pleasing — but that aesthetic perception is
secondary and anachronistic.
Summary
of Lotman's point
Repetition is a deep structural
mechanism that generates meaning and memorability in texts. In art, it
becomes stylized and appreciated for its formal beauty. In proverbs,
parables, and myths, it appears in its most "pure" and functional
form — stripped of aesthetic pretension and driven by the urgent cultural needs
to preserve wisdom, teach morality, and ensure accurate oral
transmission.
This reflects Lotman's broader
semiotic view: cultural texts are not just carriers of content; their very form
including repetition models the world, stores collective memory, and fulfills
social functions far beyond mere decoration.
Examples that illustrate the idea:
- Proverb: "A stitch in time
saves nine." — The rhythmic balance and numerical parallelism aid memory
and moral urgency.
- Myth: Formulaic repetitions, for
example, in epic oral poetry, help bards recall long narratives while
reinforcing key cultural values.
In essence, Lotman highlights how what we now see as "literary" devices often began as survival tools of culture before they were aestheticized in art.
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