ANIMALISTIC AND COLOR SYMBOLISM IN THE 1970–1980s PROSE OF V. S. MAKANIN

• Main Author: Цинцин Гун (Gong Qingqing)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Perm State University 2018-07-01
• Series: Vestnik Permskogo universiteta: Rossijskaâ i zarubežnaâ filologiâ
• Subjects: Маканин; анималистическая символика; цветовая символика; повествовательная стратегия; читатель; художественная интерпретация текста.
• Online Access: http://press.psu.ru/index.php/philology/article/view/1457

Symbolism in prose of V. S. Makanin provides better conveyance of the ideological focus of his works, contributes to the implementation of the author’s narrative strategies, the expansion of the associative background and, in general, the creation of an extensive and dynamic information structure. The main wri­ter’s task is to create visual images, reveal their associative meanings and form an appropriate recipient. Makanin not only uses traditional, universal symbols in his works, but also offers his own individual artistic interpretation, in which a certain writer’s conception is reflected, showing the author’s view on certain phenomena of the surrounding reality. The demand for a symbol is determined by the writer’s desire to find universal forms not only expressing the author’s position, but also revealing the ambivalence of the human nature, the metaphysical nature of being in general. At the same time, symbolism helps to focus the reader’s attention on the unique features of the character’s inner world and to reflect the psychological motivation for his actions so that the reader could fully participate in the creative process and penetrate the essence of the author’s design. The subtext in Makanin’s works is formed with the help of a number of symbolic images, analysis of which is necessary to comprehend the originality of the author’s creative personality and the complexity of the person’s spiritual world. In this article, we focus on two key aspects of the symbolic system in the early prose of Makanin – animalistic and color symbolism, most clearly reflecting the interaction of the traditional and the author’s unique interpretation. The first system consists of the symbols of the wolf, worm, firebird, bear, fish, bird (in particular, hen) and butterfly, the second one consists of the blue, red, black and white color symbols. By analyzing them, we discover that the author focuses on social and psychological aspects of these images, creating the new ways of presenting the man of that time and depicting the Soviet society of the second half of the 20th century