2017 Issue №2

The paper considers the body representation as an important constituent of self-portrait in the autobiography “Memoirs” (published 1717) by Mademoiselle de Montpensier. The book contains descriptions of various aspects of the life of the body (appearance, clothes, tears, illnesses, physical suffering), which are analyzed within a broader cultural and philosophical context of the XVII-century, as well as from the point of view of the author’s general intentions. It is demonstrated that body images work towards aggrandizement of her self-portrait, underscoring her high social status.

Analyzing the system of P. Shelley’s literary images, the authors argue that allegorical characters of P. Shelley’s poem form two opposite groups, those of good and evil, light and darkness, and truth and falsehood. P.Shelley’s negative characters are a reflection of the poet’s views on reality and the sociopolitical situation in the country. The mythological and poetic image of the Earth is one of the central in the poem; the Earth calls for the people of England to regain their freedom. The authors reveal a special function of the Shape as a combination of natural and mystical phenomena, opposing evil.

This article analyses works of a modern English writer T. McCarthy who is considered to be a phenomenal occurrence of the postmodern discourse with its emphasis on the fragmented structure of the human experience of ‘beingin- the-world’. The authors explore the main idea of the novels. On the one hand, the novels reflect the entropic nature of modern culture, and, on the other hand, they raise the question of a withdrawal from the ‘inner cave’ by means of memory stimulation.

The originality of the author's aesthetic conception lies in A. S. Byatt’s reflections on the origins of creative energy and their connection with the processes taking place on the border of the real merging with the imaginary, Otherworldly. The author shows the role and organization of these poetical paradigms in the text, the center of which is the idea of Destiny. It is reflected not only in the plot twists and turns, but also in the formation of characters, the creation of the book composition, as well as in numerous intertexts.

Researching the poetics of S. Pesetsky's novels "The Fifth Stage" and "Equal to The Gods of Night" the author disputes the traditional idea of them as belonging to the genre of adventure. The narrative structure of the works, their composition, motive system, the role of dreams, letters, included episodes are explored.

The author analyses the specific features of B. Ryzhy’s poetry, showing that G. Ivanov’s works influenced his poetic manner. The author reveals the reasons of commonality of their existentialistic worldview, which was predetermined by some biographic and sociocultural factors. Reinterpreting G. Ivanov’s key motifs and imagery, B. Ryzhy enriches his lyrics by bringing in Soviet and post-Soviet connotations. G. Ivanov’s tragic intonation gains a new sound expressing the experience of man living in the 20th century.