Article

Name: Specifics of the author’s intention in V. Sorokin’s “Metel”

Authors: E. N. Rogova, L. S. Yanitskiy

Kemerovo State University, Kemerovo, Russian Federation

In the section Study of literature

Abstract:

The paper analyses “Metel” (The Blizzard) by V. Sorokin, defines the specifics of the author’s intention expressed in the use of the cultural code associated with the traditions of Russian and world literature, in dual coding manifested in the level intended for the mass reader and the game level perceived by the sophisticated recipient. V. Sorokin’s “Metel” is characterized by intertextuality, aimed at activating the reader’s reflection and forming a wide associative field.

To activate the reader’s perception, the author uses thematic and stylistic cliches, as well as the principle of perception contrast: modern genres of mass culture – post-apocalyptic and zombie apocalyptic serve the background for the parodied stylistic elements of classical literature. To avoid epistemological failure, the author uses archetypal images (blizzard, master and servant, horse, ship (sledge)), that act as substantial characteristics against the background of insubstantial ones, insuring understanding of any audience. The archetypal images play the role of modal words in the text, guiding the perception of the text and acting as semantic centers of a sort of fractal narrative, the essence of which is self-resemblance when the whole has the form of its parts. The author’s intention is to use fractal discourse to include numerous artistic elements in the text without changing the triggering algorithm of building the plot devices, which can be symbolically referred to as “death / rebirth” of tradition, genre, the authority of style.

Keywords: V. Sorokin, intention, short novel, cultural code, dual coding, intertextuality

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