THE PECULIARITIES OF REPRESENTING THE IMAGE OF THE WORLD IN THE NOVEL “THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY”

Abstract

The article aims to provide a comprehensive study of the representation of the image of the world in the novel “The Sea of Tranquillity” by the contemporary Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel. The “image of the world” is a fundamental category in literary texts. Our study considers it a syncretic multilevel model that reflects the creative perception of the world through artistic language. The research aims to identify the linguistic and stylistic means of representing the world image, to establish the characteristics of the time-space model of the world, to characterize the main categorical oppositions of the worldview of the central characters. It has been established that the novel under discussion actualizes a kaleidoscopic image of the world, realized through characters’ worldview, who are dispersed in time and space. The central role in creating the image of the world is played by a dynamic character type who, travelling from one space to another, unites other characters as well as distant events in different areas of the world, actualizing the multidimensionality of human existence. The destruction of the boundary of real time is the reason for the anachronistic depiction of events. The borders of the world are formed through the category of space. The types of textual space have been established: open, closed and liminal. The peculiarity of the world representation in the work under study is the actualization of a liminal space, which is transformative or transitional, often causing a sense of anxiety or discomfort. It has also been revealed that categorical oppositions: OLD – NEW, FANTASY – REALITY, FAMILY – LONELINESS, LIFE – DEATH reflect the peculiarities of the characters’ worldview. The article highlights the linguistic and stylistic features of actualisation of the world image in the novel. The dominant linguistic and stylistic means of creating the image of the world are epithets, similes, oxymorons and metaphors. The author associates different ontological states with the world such as SUCCESS, LIFE, ISOLATION, DEATH. In the novel, E. Mandel explores the eschatological problem of the world’s finitude together with the central characters. It is established that the generally accepted concept of postmodern aesthetics "the end of time and history" in the novel "The Sea of Tranquillity" is transformed into the concept of "the end of the world".