What is the episode: the shades of the meaning of the word

Human life is a continuous stream of events. Each of them has a beginning and an end, it is self-sufficient, but at the same time is often a consequence of previous ones or entails subsequent ones.

We get acquainted with the concept

These events can be designated by a capacious and short word: episodes. It is applicable both to the fate of an individual person, and to entire peoples. In addition, as a special term, the word is widely used in literature, cinematography and other forms of art. Let's look at what an episode is. Greek in origin, this word is translated as "insertion", "inserted fragment". For example, you gathered in a store, went out, but on the way you overtook a downpour. To hide from him, you jumped under the roof of the nearest cafe, sat down at a table, ordered juice and, drinking it, met your eyes with a guy who looked like your ex-lover. Because of the quarrel, you broke up a long time ago, but life ceased to be glued. And now you are dialing a number that has not been called for a hundred years. What is an episode in this case? A chain of several incidents, completely random, as a result of which two lovers will reconcile and be happy. And the rain could not go, you could look into another cafe, or the neighbor on the table suddenly would not be so similar to the one who is dear to you!

Conclusion - what is an episode? A small piece of reality, which has a certain - important or secondary - meaning. The ancient Greeks, who interpreted the word, in many ways were fatalists and believed in the predestination of everything that happens to us. From this point of view, what is an episode? A phenomenon, tragic or happy, necessarily filled with a certain meaning that a person can not always recognize immediately. Once it happened, therefore, it was supposed to happen.

Episode in the voluminous art text

In the work of art, too, there is nothing accidental, every fragment is carefully verified by the author and thought out, each has its own task and role. What is an episode in literature? This is part of the plot, an offshoot from the main action, necessary for a more complete disclosure of the character's character, conflict, theme, idea of the work.

For example, plug-in episodes are the letters of Tatyana and Onegin to each other. Pushkin could just mention them, but he introduces readers to both texts. After all, both letters help us understand the depth of the heroes' feelings, they are an excellent means of self-disclosure, self-characterization. Or another example. Raskolnikov from Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment", pondering the plan for the murder of the old woman-interest woman, enters a tavern where she meets drunk Marmeladov. He tells Raskolnikov about his bitter, hopeless life, about the unfortunate Sonechka. And this episode becomes that very drop that overflows the cup of patience and doubts of the hero concerning the crime conceived by him. Thus, the episode has a relative independence and completeness, especially if it is a large artwork.

Episode in works of small form

And what is the episode in the story, what is its role in small-scale works? By and large, the same as in novels and novels.

Take for study the story of Turgenev's "Rendezvous" and the episode of waiting for Akulina his lover, Victor. It harmoniously blends into the light landscape of the autumn day, sweet, naive, clean, like the surrounding nature. Against her background Victor looks especially pompous and false, like a rough fake near natural, natural. Akulina - a simple peasant woman, her lover - valet, adopting the habits of his master. Using the reception of contrast, Turgenev emphasizes the moral superiority and spiritual purity of people from the people.

Episode in the cinema

In feature films, episodes are small fragments that play an insignificant role in the semantic canvas of the work. These are the so-called episodes of small form.

But there are large, equal in size to full-fledged series. In the once famous "Star Wars" each new release was called: the second episode, the third one, and so on.