The image of Stalingrad in journalism 1942–1943: Stable images and topos

In the article, based on the materials of the central press of 1942–1943, the leading images, motives, toposes (verbal formulas) forming the image of the warring Stalingrad are identified. The special significance of the Volga image as an image closely connected, on the one hand, with military realities, and on the other — based on folklore tradition and topos of the song generation (“Russian river”) is revealed. The main components of the Stalingrad landscape are established: the image of a raging river, the remains of houses, a red or smoky sky. The landscape also contains a sound image — the roar of a cannonade. These elements are perceived by the publicists themselves as somewhat canonical, so the essays about the victorious Stalingrad (late January — early February) emphasize the transformation of these components or a change in the tone of their description. It was found that the main metaphors that serve to create the image of the city are associated with the concepts of “living – dead – mutilated” and “fortress – stone”. Frequent use of motives generates phrases approaching the verbal formulas “Stalingrad is alive”, “Stalingrad is not a fortress, its people are a fortress”. The emphasis is not so much on the ideologies as on the deep images of the mythological genesis in the formation of the image of the city.