GENDER ASPECT OF ENGLISH ZOOMORPHIC METAPHOR AND SIMILE: A STEREOTYPICAL PORTRAIT OF A MAN

Gender stereotypes are quite clearly recorded and reflected by zoomorphic metaphors and similes. The purpose of the article is to present a cumulative portrait of a man in the light of masculinity using zoomorphic metaphors and similes that reflect stereotypical ideas about a man. Metaphors and similes that characterize a man on the basis of physical data (body weight, muscle mass, strength, endurance, appearance) and qualities stereotypically attributed to large animals and predatory animals are considered, in particular, sexual activity as a manifestation of the instinct for self-preservation and procreation, attributed to some animals and transferred on a man as a bearer of the qualities of activity and inconstancy. The stereotypical portrait of a man in the mirror of English zoomorphic metaphor and simile is compiled on the results of the analysis of phraseological units in English and Russian linguistic cultures and illustrative examples from the fiction of modern English-speaking authors.