DER VERWUDETЕ SOKRATES BY BERTOLT BRECHT: PECULIARITIES OF NARRATIVE SYSTEM

Abstract

Poetics is used to characterize the fictional and philosophical concept of B. Brecht’s short story, as well as the narrative means employed to create the image of protagonist – philosopher Socrates who finds himself in a crisis during the battle with Persians. The paper reveals the sense-creating role of the short story composition. It is demonstrated that in terms of narration type the story can be divided into two unequal parts: the first part is a (quasi) encyclopaedia article where Socrates is depicted as a philosopher and educator, a courageous person who met his end with dignity and a brave warrior. The second part consists of a number of visual images-stories that can be conditionally named as follows: “Socrates before the battle”, “Socrates and a small shield”, “Socrates criticizes suppliers”, “Soldiers and Socrates at halt”, “Commander’s shout”, “Battle landscape”, “Memories and reflections of irritated Socrates about his evening conversation with a young foolish aristocrat who commanded cavalry”; “The aristocrat details his battle plan”; “Socrates’ ironic attitude to this plan and his thinking about it”; “Escape”, “Imitation of the attack against Persians”, “Wounded Socrates is carried away”, “Socrates and his wife”, “Socrates glory”, “Philosophical musings of Socrates-pacifist about the causes of war”. The peculiarities of B. Brecht’s narrative system are studied. One of them is that every paragraph centered around Socrates is an expressive image which can be realized on the canvas, on the stage and in the cinema. It was found that every scene, in its dynamics, reveals the protagonist’s character, his ways of thinking and krainia under different circumstances. It was established that the scenes of Socrates’ escape and the imitation of the army attack against the Persians are the most dynamic.