  grigorian-am-vestnik-ksu-2024-4.pdf |
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- THE MOTIF OF IMMOBILITY IN PETERSBURG STORIES BY NIKOLAI GOGOL: SEMANTIC INVARIANT AND ITS VARIANTS
- Grigorian A.M. The motif of immobility in Petersburg stories by Nikolai Gogol: semantic invariant and its variants. Vestnik of Kostroma State University, 2024, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 63–68 (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.34216/1998-0817-2024-30-4-63-68
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.34216/1998-0817-2024-30-4-63-68
- УДК: 821.161.1.09”19”
- EDN: MXVJFB
- Publish date: 2024-07-31
- Annotation: The article examines the motif of immobility in the works of Nikolai Gogol on the material of Petersburg stories and highlights the main prerequisites for the author’s creation of semantic invariants of immobility (“petrification”, “stiffness” and “numbness”). The issues under consideration are poorly studied, the number of works devoted to the motif of immobility is small, and the range of sources on which the analysis is based is limited. As a result, the semantic variability of the motif of immobility is not fully clarified. Thanks to the expansion of the range of sources and new observations, the “petrification formula”, a term introduced by Yuriy Mann, receives additional characteristics. The selected options are considered in different contexts, which make it possible to determine the semantic variability of the static state of Nikolai Gogol’s characters. Among the most common prerequisites for the motif are feelings of high emotional intensity, including fear, admiration, surprise, suffering and helplessness. The study reveals the paradox and ambivalence of Nikolai Gogol’s portrayal of heroes, since cases of Gogol recreating opposing emotions through identical forms of immobility are recorded. There is also a semantic enrichment of the motif of immobility through the description of eyes and gaze, sounds or silence, open mouth and other elements. The author comes to the conclusion that the motif of immobility, associated with various emotional states of the characters, is an essential element of Nikolai Gogol’s artistic world, enhancing the depth and expressiveness of the narrative.
- Keywords: Nikolai Gogol, non-verbal behaviour, motif of immobility, Petersburg stories, invariant, semantic variant, petrification, semantic variant.
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