Literary and Aesthetic Continuum as an Object of Categorization and its Representation in Language and Text

Abstract
The article deals with the problem of structural organization of liberal arts fragments in the diachronic world view. It considers the application of a prototypical approach to the knowledge categorization about the types and directions of culture and to the differentiation of the tools of their verbal representation in the metalanguage. The classification of the concepts “Renaissance” and “Baroque” under the criteria of modern linguo-cognitive science is proposed. The article provides definitions of prototypical and peripheral units of the categories analyzed and substantiates the differences in their significates. Special attention is paid to non-central category members, as well as to parameters that confirm their categorical status and place them in the general subsystems’ hierarchy. The study substantiates the polysemy of the terms “Renaissance” and “Baroque”, which is caused by the heterogeneity of the classes they represent. Based on the material of specific category units, it demonstrates the possibility of changing their positions as class members and analyzes the causes and consequences of their re-categorization. The article considers the problem of variability and openness of the range of the categories under study, as well as the criteria of their autonomy and integrity. It is shown that the category stability depends on the prototype identification degree and its differences from the central units in other classes. The main conclusions were obtained by analyzing the meanings of the investigated terms and identifying patterns of their attribution to the texts of the corresponding cultural stages. The study novelty lies in the application of cognitive analysis methods to the concepts and term units of the Humanities metalanguage. The research relevance is accounted for by the need to further study the semantics and functioning of interdisciplinary special units in poetics, literary history, art history, cultural studies, and aesthetics. It helps to distinguish the meanings and contexts of using names that are synonymous and antonymous.

Keywords
prototypical category; metalanguage of liberal arts; terminological ambiguity; Renaissance; Baroque