“CREATING AN IMAGE OF A HERO IS THE MAIN THING THAT MOTIVATED ME”: THE IMAGE OF MAJOR ZILIN IN THE NOVEL “ASSAN” BY V. S. MAKANIN
Abstract
10.18522/1995-0640-2026-1-143-155
The focus of the study is the novel “Asan” by V. S. Makanin, particularly the character of Major Zhilin. The work deals with a portrait of a synthetic hero, and the plot with a highly principled artistic definition of the image. The aim of the analysis is to identify various aspects of a complex image that cause polar interpretations. The methods of work were based on a multimethodology including the use of comparative-historical, typological, structural-semantic methods combined with a systematic approach. The symbolic semantics of the image of the narrative acquires an individuality of the mythological god Asan. The multi-valued, structural, and denotative meaning of a complex image synthesizes “author's” dominant types in a new model of the character and his behavior. The idea of a living soul in the novel is supported by a complex narrative discourse, conceptual motifs, and symbols, as well as a powerful literary tradition expressed in the onomastic, plot-driven and archetypal layers of the work.
Key words: Makanin, Asan, synthetic image, narrative discourse, symbolic images, literary tradition
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