Semiotic constants in Nicolai Gogol’s oeuvre «the tale of how Ivan Ivanovitch quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovitch»

About the author:

Natalia N. Belozerova, Dr. Sci (Philol.), Professor, Department of the English Language, University of Tyumen; eLibrary AuthorID, natnicbel@gmail.com

Abstract:

The author proposes her semiolinguistic analysis of Nikolai Gogol’s oeuvre «The Tale of How Ivan Ivanovitch Quarreled with Ivan Nikiforovitch», with an objective to trace the functions of semiotic constants in this text and clarify why the semantic intersection of the way (form) of life, durables, and the discursive redundancy result in the absurdity situation. The analysis helped the author to conclude that the semiotic constants of this tale depend upon functional parameters of the two textual categories: point of view and «chronotope». In their turn, semantic and semiotic functions of object durables, animals and certain personages cause the revelation of fairy tale features in Gogol’s story. Besides, the textual constants are represented both through iconicity and symbolism which leads to the transformation of the verbal into the visual. Herewith every variable is connected with the change of the point of view and with the inverted parameters of the discourse, as well as with the semantic and axiological modifi cation of the intersecting vectors. In the story under analysis, the chronotope as the dominant textual category reveals itself through variables of its constituents, which causes functional inversions of the spatial deixis. Similarly, the vector of the discursive context rests upon the variables, which result in functional and semantic inversions of the space (locus).

References:

1. Gogol, N. V. Sobr. soch. v 9 t. T. 3: Povesti [Complete works in 9 volumes. Vol. 3: Stories]. URL: http://www.klassika.ru/read.html?proza/gogol/ssora.txt. (in Russian)

2. Uspenskiy, P. D. Tertium organum. Klyuch k zagadkam mira [Tertium organum. Key to the mystery of the world]. SPb.: Tipogpafi ya T-va Pech. i Izd. dela «Trud», 1911. (in Russian)

3. Bakhtin, M. M. Formy vremeni i khronotopa v romane [The forms of time and chronotope in the novel] // Literaturno-kriticheskiye stat’i (Critical articles). M., 1986. Pp. 121-262. (in Russian)

4. Uspenskiy, B. A. Yazyk. Semiotika. Kul’tura: izbrannyye trudy [Language. Semiotics. Culture: Selected Works]. Vol. 1: Semiotika istorii. Semiotika kul’tury [Semiotics of History. Semiotics of Culture]. M.: Gnozis, 1994. 356 p. (in Russian)

5. Propp, V. Ya. Morfologiya skazki [The morphology of the fairy tale]. 2nd ed. M.: Nauka, 1969. 168 p.; Propp, V. Ya. Istoricheskiye korni volshebnoy skazki // Morfologiya volshebnoy skazki [The historical roots of the fairy tale // The morphology of the fairy tale]. M.: Labirint, 1998. (in Russian)

6. Foucault, M. Slova i veshchi. Arkheologiya gumanitarnykh nauk [The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences]. SPb.: Acad Press, 1994. 407 p.; Foucault, M. Volya k istine: po tu storonu znaniya, vlasti i seksual’nosti. Raboty raznykh let: per. s frants. [The will to truth: the other side of knowledge, power and sexuality. Works of various years: trans. from French]. M.: Qastal, 1996. 448 p. (in Russian)

7. Lotman, Yu. M. Izbrannyye stat’i // Stat’i po semiotike i tipologii kul’tury [Selected articles // Articles on semiotics and cultural typology]. Vol. 1. Tallinn: Alexandra, 1992. 480 p.; Lotman, Yu. M. Kul’tura i vzryv [Culture and explosion]. M.: Progress, 1992. 272 p. (in Russian)

8. Van Dijk, T. A. Yazyk. Poznaniye. Kommunikatsiya: per. s angl. / sost. V. V. Petrova [Language. Apprehension. Communication: trans. from English / compiled by V. V. Petrova]. M.: Progress, 1989. 312 p. (in Russian)

9. Lotman, Yu. M. Khudozhestvennoye prostranstvo v proze Gogolya // V shkole poeticheskogo slova: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol [Art space in Gogol’s prose // The school of poetics: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol]. M.: Prosveshcheniye, 1988. Pp. 251-292. Pereizd.: Problema khudozhestvennogo prostranstva v proze Gogolya [The problem of artistic space in Gogol’s prose] // Lotman, Yu. M. Izbrannyye stat’i (Selected articles). In 3 volumes. Vol. I. Tallinn: Alexandra, 1993. Pp. 413-447; Lotman, Yu. M. O russkoy literature: St. i issled. (1958-1993): Istoriya rus. prozy. Teoriya literatury [On Russian literature: Art and research. (1958-1993): History of Russian prose. Theory of Literature]. SPb.: Iskusstvo, 1997 (in Russian)

10. Toporov, V. I. Svyatost’ i svyatyye v russkoy dukhovnoy kul’ture [Sanctity and saints in Russian spiritual culture]. M.: Gnozis, 1995. Vol.1. 875 p. (in Russian)

11. Vygotskiy, L. S. Myshleniye i rech’ [Thinking and speech]. M.: Labirint, 1999. 414 p. (in Russian)

12. Austin, John L. Le langage de la perception / traduction par Paul Gochet de Sense and Sensibilia. Paris: Éditions Armand Colin, 1971; Austin, John L. Quand dire c’est faire / traduction par Gilles Lane de How to do things with Words. Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1970; The William James Lectures delivered at Harvard University in 1955. Oxford: Ed. Urmson, 1962.

13. Filippova I. N. Izbytochnost’ i nedostatochnost’ v odnoyazychnoy i dvuyazychnoy kommunikatsii (na materiale nemetskogo i russkogo yazyka): avtoref. dis. … d-ra fi lol. nauk [Redundancy and defi ciency in monolingual and bilingual communication (in German and Russian languages): synopsis: dis. … Dr. Sci. (Philol.)]. URL: http://avtoref.mgou.ru/new/d212.155.04/Filippova/diss.pdf. (in Russian)

14. Gumilev, L. N. Etnogenez i biosfera zemli [Ethnogenesis and Earth’s biosphere]. Leningrad: Leningrad State University, 1989. 496 p.; Gumilev, L. N. Etnosfera. Istoriya lyudey i istoriya prirody [Ethnosphere. The history of the people and the history of nature]. M.: Ekopros, 1993. 544 p. (in Russian)

15. Steblin-Kamenskiy, M. I. Mir sagi. Stanovleniye literatury [The world of saga. Formation of literature]. L.: Nauka, 1984. 245 p. (in Russian)

16. Vinogradov, V. V. Gogol i natural’naya shkola [Gogol and natural school]. L., 1925. Pp. 76. (in Russian)

17. Lotman, Yu. M. Khudozhestvennoye prostranstvo v proze Gogolya // V shkole poeticheskogo slova: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol [Art space in Gogol’s prose // The school of poetics: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol]. M.: Prosveshcheniye, 1988. Pp. 251-292. Pereizd.: Problema khudozhestvennogo prostranstva v proze Gogolya [The problem of artistic space in Gogol’s prose] // Lotman, Yu. M. Izbrannyye stat’i (Selected articles). In 3 volumes. Vol. I. Tallinn: Alexandra, 1993. Pp. 413-447; Lotman, Yu. M. O russkoy literature: St. i issled. (1958-1993): Istoriya rus. prozy. Teoriya literatury [On Russian literature: Art and research. (1958-1993): History of Russian prose. Theory of Literature]. SPb.: Iskusstvo, 1997; Toporov, V. I. Svyatost’i svyatyye v russkoy dukhovnoy kul’ture [Sanctity and saints in Russian spiritual culture]. M.: Gnosis, 1995. Vol. 1. 875 p. (in Russian)

18. Propp, V. Ya. Morfologiya skazki [The morphology of the fairy tale]. 2nd ed. M.: Nauka, 1969. 168 p.; Propp, V. Ya. Istoricheskiye korni volshebnoy skazki // Morfologiya volshebnoy skazki [The historical roots of the fairy tale // The morphology of the fairy tale]. M.: Labyrinth, 1998. (in Russian)

19. Mikhal’kova, Ye. V. Sovremennyye teorii komicheskogo i kontseptsii invektivnykh imen: monografi ya. Tyumen, 2012 [Modern theories of the comic and concepts of invective names: monograph]. Tyumen, 2012. 98 p. (in Russian)

20. URL: http://slovarslov.ru/slovar/sim/g/gus.html. (in Russian)

21. Shakespeare, W. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Shakespeare-Riverside. P. 1312.

22. Bakhtin, M. M. Formy vremeni i khronotopa v romane // Literaturno-kriticheskiye stat’i [The forms of time and chronotope in the novel // Critical articles]. M., 1986. Pp.121-262. Pp. 212. (in Russian)

23. Lotman, Yu. M. Khudozhestvennoye prostranstvo v proze Gogolya // V shkole poeticheskogo slova: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol [Art space in Gogol’s prose // The school of poetics: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol]. M.: Prosveshcheniye, 1988. P. 253. (in Russian)

24. Lotman, Yu. M. Khudozhestvennoye prostranstvo v proze Gogolya // V shkole poeticheskogo slova: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol’ [Art space in Gogol’s prose // The school of poetics: Pushkin. Lermontov. Gogol]. M.: Prosveshcheniye, 1988. P. 253. (in Russian)

25. Van Dijk, T. A. Yazyk. Poznaniye. Kommunikatsiya: per. s angl. / sost. V. V. Petrova [Language. Apprehension. Communication: trans. from English. / compiled by V. V. Petrova]. M.: Progress, 1989. 312 p. (in Russian)