POSTPONED DUEL IN “THE SHOT” AS A FACTOR OF STRUCTURE OF TEXT

Abstract

The postponed shot and doubling the duel are central points of the plot of this tale and its leitmotifs. We show that in a series of episodes this circumstance serves a structural generator, each time reproducing the key leitmotif anew. It includes 1) structural correspondence between the abnormal card game and the abnormal duel, 2) ability to stick a bullet into a bullet, twice demonstrated by Silvio. In addition, the relevance of a duel in the structure of the text reveals itself in relation between numbers 2 and 3. Also, there is a correlation with doubled war motif: it follows from the inner chronology of the tale that Silvio missed Patriotic War of 1812. (We consider his participation in the uprising of eterists as compensation.) The latter circumstance is an example of the “hidden plot” phenomenon that has only recently begun to attract reseacrhers’ attention. The specific feature of a given case consists in that it is not the event but their meaningful absence which is hidden. Also, we find a motif of a horse (overlooked in literature before) and suggest explanation why a narrator, mentioning Silvio’s cap, calls it by the name of its French analogue.