"The Semantics of the Novel Title “Aviator” by E. Vodolazkin "


2019. № 6, 82-91

Natalia A. Nikolina, Moscow State Pedagogical University (Russia, Moscow),
ruskafedra314@gmail.com
Zoya Yu. Petrova, V. V. Vinogradov Russian Language Institute (Russian Academy of Sciences)
(Russia, Moscow), zoyap@mail.ru

Abstract:

The article discusses the semantics of the title of the novel by E. Vodolazkin “Aviator” published in 2016 and traces the connection between the
title of this work and both the main text and epigraph. The research shows
that the title expresses the main themes of the text in a condensed form
and is associated with its most important subject lines, the composition
of the work and the key fi gurative parallels. The article determines the
meaning of the novel title “Aviator” and considers a gradual change in the
semantics of the headword and its enrichment with additional meanings
such as ‘independence’, ‘loneliness’, ‘wide view from above’. Intertextual
links of the work are revealed, primarily with the poem “Aviator” by A. Blok.
The paper focuses on the system of metaphors in the novel (life — fl ight,
aviator — bird, etc.) and their role in the text. The article emphasizes the
multifunctional character of the title. The analysis of the title reveals the
subtext of the novel, gives an interpretation of the text and determines the
author’s estimates and key oppositions of the novel (the past/ the present,
historical time/personal time, public life/private life, time continuity/holes
in time, etc.).