CHINESE MOTIFS IN D. LIPSKEROV's NOVEL "FORTY YEARS OF CHANGZHOE"

Abstract

The article aims to discover the Chinese cultural codes in the novel "Forty Years of Changzhoe" by the modern Russian writer D. Lipskerov. The research adopts historical-cultural and hermeneutic methods. The article concentrates on defining the function of Chinese allusions in the plot structure of the novel. The central mythological and cultural concept in the novel is the image of the “chicken” and the “chicken invasion”, which reproduce the eschatological plot in a profane form. The images of the "chicken" and the "rooster", fixed under a common hieroglyph, have a sacred meaning in Chinese culture and serve as a key to the interpretation of the main scenario in the novel. The composition of the plot is largely determined by historical and cultural subtext. The author concludes that allusions to Chinese culture are not accidental and do not serve only for ornamental purposes: they deepen the plot perspective and set the mythological foundation for the core motifs of the novel.