'Creature' についての共時的・通時的考察　－Richardson の書簡体小説を中心として－

The present paper aims at examinig the word 'creature' from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. The first section begins with providing several definitions of 'creature,' along with its etymology, in reference to such major dictionaries as the Oxford English Dictionary and Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language(1755). In the subsequent three sections, the frequency and the collocation of this word are investigated through Richardson's Pamela and Clarissa as our main linguistic materials. A comparative discussion is made with several literary works from the late 16th to the early 19th centuries. Our final purpose here is to explore one of the stylistic features peculiar to 'sentimentalism' - a literary trend in eighteenth century English where Richardson played a significant role as its founder.