Chronotope of the border in the story of A. N. Tolstoy "The Viper"

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the novel by A. N. Tolstoy "The Viper" (1928). The purpose of the study is to reveal the features of the chronotope of the boundary of the work. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the fact that despite the focus on the story, which was explored through the heroic events of the civil war and hagiographic elements, there were aspects that were not fully explored from a gender perspective and through the theme of love. In particular, the authors have identified for the first time the types of chronotope boundaries in this work. The results showed that chronotopic values of various degrees and volumes, such as existential, social, personal and gender boundaries, become the most striking and important. The heroine of the story overcomes these thresholds, going through the initiation process and making sacrifices associated with the loss of home, parents, love, freedom, self-identity, human essence. The writer identifies the opposition of the "I" – "Other", associating it with the opposition of the human – animal and demonstrating the dominance of the second principle at a crucial moment for the country of the destruction of the old order and the formation of a new one. The main functions of the chronotope of the boundaries of this work are plot-forming, spatial, psychological and integrating.