Vol 16, No 4 (2024)
Language, Culture, Society
Functioning of Allusive Anthroponyms in a Fiction Text: The Pragmatic Aspect
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of the pragmatic aspect of the functioning of allusive anthroponyms in a literary text using the example of the novel by D. Tartt The Secret History (1992). The aim of the work is to analyze the pragmatic potential of allusive anthroponyms, which lies in the performance of a number of functions by these linguistic units in the studied fiction text and in the expressive impact on the addressee of the text.
An allusive anthroponym is understood as a unit possessing associative and connotative semantics. The article reviews the main trends in the analysis of the semantics of anthroponyms, the author comes to the conclusion about the multidimensional nature of these linguistic signs, which have a rich cultural and historical potential, participate in the organization of the compositional and thematic structure of the text, in the creation of expressiveness of the narrative, in the description of the characters, and perform a number of other important functions. The structure of the meaning of this unit has denotative, significative, and pragmatic features. Pragmatic semes contribute to the realization of the pragmatic potential of the name in connection with the impact of the narrative situation on the addressee of the text.
The analysis of the functions of allusive anthroponyms in the D. Tartt’s novel showed the predominance of the functions of increasing expressiveness, characterization of the character/place of action, and the function of evaluation. Next in descending order of importance and frequency are the function of semantic unfolding, the function of creating a textual concept, the aesthetic function, the function of creating an illusion of reality, and the function of perspectivation. The performance of a wide range of functions by allusive names indicates the importance of these units in a fiction text, their participation in the realization of the meaning of the text, its interpretation, and the creation of imagery.



The Linguistic Mechanisms of Creating New Words in Russian (a Case Study of Gamers’ Slang)
Abstract
The ongoing lexical processes in the modern Russian language include the emergence of new words. Traditionally, language mechanisms involved in the development of new concepts are considered to include borrowing (transcription, transliteration, calque translation), metaphor and metonymy, and play on words. Gaming slang is a subtype of computer slang. It is a means of self-expression, of expressing emotions and evaluation, the use of slang words helps save time. Gaming slang can be divided into two main categories – global and local. Global slang is common to gamers all over the world, while local slang words are understood only by native speakers of the same language. The article analyzes the linguistic mechanisms involved in the creation of new lexical units in the slang of gamers playing popular online computer games. The research is novel in that it deals with previously unstudied linguistic material and its linguistic interpretation. In the course of research, a targeted sample of slang words used by gamers was created on the basis of game chats and Internet forums as well as the website https://gamer-info.com; then the recorded lexemes were classified taking into account derivational mechanisms. The total number of analyzed units is 100. The author studies the lexical processes occurring in the modern Russian language, presents the notions of computer slang and gaming slang, describes their differences. The paper provides a detailed analysis of the selected units of slang with respect to the implementation of such linguistic mechanisms as transcription, transliteration, calque translation, metaphor, metonymy and play on words; the most frequently used mechanism is identified. Methodologically the study is based on: works of N. S. Valgina devoted to modern Russian as well as active processes occurring in the vocabulary of the Russian language; scientific and popular science works on semantics and lexicology by M. A. Krongauz; scientific articles by other modern scholars on lexicology and stylistics. The relevance of the topic for the Russian and foreign scientific community is determined by the expanding Russian-language slang vocabulary used by gamers, the involvement of a large number of native Russian speakers in computer gaming communication, and the need for scientific reflection on the linguistic processes that characterize this discourse practice.



Concept as a Transdisciplinary Phenomenon: Further Elaborating the Problem
Abstract
This article is of theoretical nature as it is aimed at gaining insights into the current state of conceptology as one of the youngest and so far unsettled theories. The paper presents the results of a study into approaches in modern linguistics to understanding the phenomenon of ‘concept’. The purpose of the work is to identify theoretical gaps in the scientifically based theory of concept as well as possible ways of further development of this concept, but in a categorical aspect, i.e., precisely as a category.
In the course of the study, we revealed a significant number of scientific directions differing in the interpretation of the phenomenon of ‘concept’ and performed essential analysis of these. As a result, several key areas in the study of concept were identified, and an attempt was made to systematize thereof. Generalization of the existing definitions indicated the absence of an unambiguous interpretation of concept; however, its invariant features were determined: subjectivity, mental nature (conceptual character), sociality, correlation with the culture of a certain ethnic group, multidimensionality. We also analyzed scientific contradictions in understanding the essence of concept and discussed the probable causes of their existence. The result of the study is the identification of possible ways to overcome the revealed theoretical contradictions, which opens up additional opportunities for a comprehensive study of concept. Here is meant the study of concept precisely as a category, which would allow for further development of the theory of conceptology, make it possible to increase the level of elaboration and scientific validity of transdisciplinary methodology, develop a universal approach to understanding the phenomenon of concept based on and taking into account its multilayeredness and transdisciplinarity.



Scientific Polemical Discourse and Factors of Its Formation
Abstract
The article substantiates the concept of ‘scientific polemical discourse’ as a complex verbal and mental activity in the scientific sphere of communication aimed at refuting a differing point of view and arguing the author's position. The use of the word ‘scientific’ in the preposition emphasizes the sphere of functioning of the discourse and its being conditioned by the corresponding sphere. The question of the relationship between the concepts of ‘functional style’ and ‘discourse’ is considered. They have a common methodological principle of analyzing linguistic specificity in its extra-linguistic conditionality. The difference lies in the criteria of selection and abstraction levels of extra-linguistic factors. The choice of factors relevant to scientific polemical discourse is argued. The communicative intention ‘expression of disagreement’ becomes a factor in the formation of this discourse because it is the speech activity dominant for scientific polemics participants. Disagreement is defined as a type of reaction to speech similar to negative evaluation of speech behavior, where this evaluation can be expressed by a variety of speech techniques: any kind of criticism, doubt about the correctness or acceptability of a certain position, objection, refutation. Based on linguistic studies, the author proves the legitimacy and preferability of using the designation ‘polemical’ compared to other ways of naming polemical communication varieties. This word is most appropriate to the tasks of studying and providing communicative-pragmatic description of the discourse in question. Such features of scientific polemical discourse as the conflictual nature, institutionality, ‘double’ addressability, evaluability, argumentativeness, and intertextuality are illustrated on the material of scientific polemical texts.



The Functioning of Lexemes Having Bound Stems with Prefixes de-/re-
Abstract
The article considers the peculiarities of the functioning of lexemes with prefixes de- and re- in bound stems. The study is divided into four parts: introduction, description of the codified meanings of prefixes de- and re- and their word-formation valence, description of the correlation paradigm of lexemes with these prefixes in bound stems, conclusions. The work provides semantic characteristics and valence indicators of the prefixes in modern Russian for comparison with their original meanings in the source language – Latin, as well as for tracing the further transformation path of these meanings up to the modern stage of the development of the Russian language, where they were borrowed as part of lexemes through European languages. The material under study is pairs of words with prefixes de- and re- that correlate with the same bound stem, which makes it possible to isolate and describe the semantics of these prefixes and further determine in what paradigmatic relations the words are in a lexical pair (antonymy or synonymy). Etymological and semantic analysis of each studied lexeme is carried out based on etymological explanatory dictionaries, as well as by considering the word in context. The study draws attention to the fact that in combination with bound stems, prefixes can independently create the meaning of a word due to the darkening of the internal form and partial desemantization of the root morpheme.
Prefixes de- and re- themselves can also be desemantized, which ultimately leads to conclusions about the functioning of such prefixes with bound stems. The study has established the similarity of word-forming models for prefixes de- and re- when used with divisible and indivisible stems. It has also been found that such words can form synonymous pairs in the case where both the lexeme with prefix re- and the lexeme with prefix de- have a component of the meaning ‘reverse action’. Such pairs can also form antonymic relationships if neither of the prefixes has been desemantized.



V SVOYOM RODE as a Potential Pragmatic Marker-Approximator of Russian Everyday Speech
Abstract
The paper analyzes the functioning of the unit v svoyom rode in Russian oral everyday discourse as a potential pragmatic marker-approximator. The source of material for analysis was the spoken subcorpus of the Russian National Corpus. The study employs the corpus approach and scientific methods such as continuous sampling, descriptive, comparative, and quantitative methods. The analysis showed that the expression v svoyom rode in oral discourse has significantly enriched its dictionary meaning of uncertainty (‘from a certain point of view’) with a number of pragmatic meanings: approximation (reducing the categoricalness of the statement), hesitation (overcoming speech hesitation and formalizing speech search), reflection on what has been said or is about to be said, and marking the ending of a phrase/remark. The dictionary lexico-grammatical meaning of the unit v svoyom rode in oral use has almost been lost; instead, there appeared several pragmatic meanings (functions) that are not described in the existing dictionaries, which allows us to consider the unit under study as a potential multifunctional pragmatic marker-approximator. This, in turn, may become the basis for including this unit in the Dictionary of Pragmatic Markers. The results obtained can be useful for understanding the trends in the development of Russian everyday speech within the framework of colloquial speech studies (analysis of oral speech), for the practice of teaching Russian as a foreign language (linguodidactics), as well as for the practice of translating Russian literary texts into other languages.



The Komi-Permyak Names of Plants Osot and Bodyak Containing the Component jön
Abstract
The article considers the Komi-Permyak names of plants osot and bodyak containing the component jön. The study is useful for lexicography and mapping of these phytonyms as it makes it possible to identify these plants. The author analyzed the structure of the phytonyms and their contextual environment in order to discover the linguistic means with the help of which the objective properties of these weeds are indicated. The contextual analysis has shown that in the case of bodyak the plant can be identified with the help of the adjectives zhellya ‘prickly’, lyok ‘angry, ferocious’, choryt ‘hard’, in the case of osot – through the adjectives hrupköj ‘fragile’, nebyt, myagköj ‘soft’.
The structural-semantic analysis identified in the components of the names the signs that help differentiate the plants in question: milky juice secreted by the plant osot (jölturun lit. ‘milky grass’, jöljön lit. ‘milky osot’, jövajön lit. ‘milk osot’, etc.), the yellow petals of osot (vezhjön lit. ‘yellow osot’); the hardness of the stem and prickliness of bodyak (chorytjön lit. ‘hard osot’, zhellyajön lit. ‘prickly osot’). The metaphorical phytonym lyok jön lit. ‘angry, ferocious osot’, also indicating the prickliness of the plant bodyak, is considered separately. The paper provides a comparison of the Komi-Permyak names of plants osot and bodyak with their names in the Permic languages (Komi-Zyryan and Udmurt). This comparison revealed, on the one hand, different distinguishing components in the structure of units from different languages (pushkyra jön lit. ‘fluffy osot’ in Komi-Zyryan, kechjöny lit. ‘goat’s osot’ in Udmurt); on the other hand, the designations of osot that are common to these languages, which can be explained by the existence of a common Permic root with the meaning ‘osot, a prickly weed or shrub’.



Semantics of Russian Expressive Vocabulary Connected with Drinking Alcohol
Abstract
The paper provides a semantic analysis of expressive vocabulary that reflects the ideas of the Russian-language speakers about drinking alcohol. The material of the study are colloquial words and idioms expressing emotional / psychological attitude of the speakers to different referents of the alcohol consumption situation (that is: the process of drinking, the drinker himself, the alcoholic beverage, the state of intoxication, etc.). The authors study expressive units used by representatives of different social strata, including such units found in fiction, colloquial language, slang, vulgar speech. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study is based on the works of N. A. Lukyanova, T. V. Matveyeva, V. N. Teliya and other Russian linguists, where expressiveness is defined as a lexical category associated with the emotional-evaluative attitude of the speaker to the phenomena of reality and manifested in the connotative part of the lexical meaning of the expressive word. This study is the first to provide an analysis of the two semantic components of the ‘alcohol consumption’ vocabulary – intensity and emotional evaluation. It has been established that the intensity of the expressive vocabulary in question correlates with the deviation from the socially approved norm of drinking and the subsequent state of intoxication; this vocabulary manifests both negative and positive evaluation of the referents. The authors underline the influence of context on the emotional connotation of an expressive word and the consequent difficulty of interpreting expressive words (positively or negatively), describe the contextual means that make it possible to identify the emotional connotation of the used expressive.
The authors come to a conclusion that a large number of expressive lexical units in narrations about drinking alcohol indicate their relevance to the speech behavior of native speakers of the Russian language. This confirms the expediency of further study of collective and individual perceptions of alcohol consumption present in the Russian-language linguistic worldview.



Literature in the Cultural Context
‘Now for me you are exactly this, and not not that’: Correspondence Between Leo Tolstoy and Pavel Annenkov
Abstract
The article deals with the brief but significant correspondence between Tolstoy and Annenkov, analyzes the attitude of the writer and the critic to each other, emphasizing the most important moments of the letters that provide the understanding of the holistic position of the correspondents. The work presents the history of the interaction between Tolstoy and Annenkov, noting the critic’s deep understanding of the reasons for the emergence of certain ideas in Tolstoy. It is shown that the correspondence contains valuable statements and comments that are not found in the critic’s articles. In his correspondence with Tolstoy, Annenkov emphasizes the scale of the individual’s path and the hidden forces contained in an individual. The writer’s attention, according to Annenkov, should be directed not only to the outside world but also to the depths of his spiritual life. Passed through the mind and soul, this external world was presented to the reader transformed. The author of the article pays special attention to the different views of Turgenev and Annenkov, both of whom were Tolstoy’s friends, on the creative evolution of the writer. The influence that the critic had on the young writer is noted, as well as the divergence of their views. ‘Swarm life’ did not attract Annenkov, his attention was directed toward the individual, often ignored in Russia. Annenkov did not deny the clear thought necessary in literary works, he tried to rely on reason himself, complained about the lack of system and order in Russia. The critic saw the tasks of art not in discussing problems of a national scale, but in finding the best path for an individual.
The author of the article comes to a conclusion that Annenkov understood Tolstoy better than Botkin and Druzhinin (who together constituted, in Tolstoy’s words, an ‘aesthetic triumvirate’). The writer and the critic did not discuss an idea of creating something together; Annenkov, unlike Botkin and Druzhinin, was not the first reader of Tolstoy's works; but it was Annenkov who was able to understand the peculiarities of Tolstoy's nature that left an imprint on the writer’s literary talent. Annenkov’s letters and his thoughts about the writer were always aimed at serving Tolstoy and art.



The Works of Andrei Volos in Modern Literary Studies and Criticism
Abstract
The article offers an overview of critical writings devoted to the works of Andrei Volos. The author analyzes papers by writers and critics A. Bitov, A. Vasilevsky, O. Kudrin, I. Kukulin, A. Latynina, I. Loginov, V. Oskotsky, M. Remizova, I. Rostovtseva, Yu. Surovtsev, A. Salomatin, literary critics S. Abashin, Z. Azizova, A. Kazimirchuk, M. Maracheva, V. Maroshi, V. Meskin, T. Polovinkina, G. Rebel, E. Sergeeva, E. Shafranskaya. It is shown that of particular interest to researchers in the works of A. Volos are the theme of the East and the methods of its artistic implementation, the features of the plot and composition, style and genre traditions. The article discusses a number of other major problems, including the connection of the writer’s works with the traditions of Russian, Persian, and Tajik literature, the principles of reproducing Eastern spirituality (in particular, Muslim culture), the images of ‘oriental’ characters, the image of the author himself, and the system of his philosophical beliefs. All these questions are unexplored or insufficiently studied. The analysis of critical works proposed in the article helps to gain an idea of the significance of the figure of A. Volos as a prose writer, of his uniqueness and place in the modern literary process. Studying the works of A. Volos, scholars and critics come to a conclusion about his unique approach to literature and deep understanding of various aspects of history, culture, and society. His works are distinguished by their multi-layeredness, ambiguity, and vitality, which makes them especially attractive to readers and researchers.



The Character of a Statesman in the Novels of Leo Tolstoy and Anthony Trollope (Alexey Karenin and Plantagenet Palliser)
Abstract
The paper aims to prove that Leo Tolstoy’s enthusiastic review of Anthony Trollope’s The Prime Minister during the period of work on Anna Karenina was due to the fact that Trollope depicts a type of character similar to the character of Karenin – a statesman with intelligence and love for his work, but characterized by inattention to the private, human side of life. The paper shows that the characters follow a similar path of evolution. The trials they have to go through transform them: both Plantagenet Palliser and Karenin acutely feel the drama of their situation and seek support. At different stages, such support is provided by female characters: in both cases, the authors portray an image of an elderly and unbeautiful woman who has strong convictions and gives advice to her companion. However, the spiritual ‘awakening’ of the characters does not last long: both Palliser and Karenin fail when they adopt values that until recently seemed unacceptable to them. The paper suggests that both Trollope and Tolstoy retain sympathy for their characters: this is indicated by Palliser’s desire to ‘be of some humble use’ and the mention of the child taken in by Karenin. Tolstoy may have been attracted to The Prime Minister by Trollope’s deep and precise psychological analysis as the English novelist traces in detail the ‘mechanism’ of the insensitive character’s transformation. The Russian writer could also have been interested in the traditions of the political novel as a genre: following Trollope, he tries to show the influence of politics on the character and spiritual evolution of man. The paper concludes that the points of intersection between the two characters of statesmen are another piece of evidence of Tolstoy’s close attention to English literature, which, to a large extent, formed the concept of his most ‘English’ novel Anna Karenina.



Reception of the Story of Faust in Modern Prose: ‘Mock Faustus’ by Margeris Zarins Translated into Russian
Abstract
This article provides reflections on the contact connections with Goethe (including through other authors of the story of Faust) in the novel by the Latvian prose writer Margeris Zarins (Marģeris Zariņš, 1910-1993) Mock Faustus, or The Corrected Complemented Cooking-Book CCC (1984). The subject of the study is the translated text as a cross-border object (the novel was translated into Russian by Valda Volkovskaya). The writer plays with the codes of different versions of Faust – from the book published by Spies, through the mediation of Christopher Marlowe (Zarins constantly mentions and quotes his The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus) and Goethe (Faust is also directly mentioned and quoted) to Thomas Mann and Bulgakov, and this is perfectly conveyed by the translator. In the depiction of the pact between man and the devil, Zarins demonstrates the integral form of contacts with Marlow, Goethe, Thomas Mann, and Bulgakov, in the creation of the central character – the musician – with Thomas Mann, in the display of political and literary life through the procession of the devil with his retinue through the capital – with Bulgakov. The differential form of contacts is manifested through the denial of God's salvation of Faust (Master, musician, etc.) and of the granting of peace to him. Faust by the Latvian author is a fiend of hell, a werewolf, an executioner, and a commandant of a Nazi concentration camp. The differential form of contacts is also manifested through the deliberate shuffling of the motifs related to the prototypes. Mock Faustus by M. Zarins and translator V. Volkovskaya is a complex combination of intertextual and translational secondary authorial transgredience. The writer escapes the influence of a number of works, the translator inherits intertextual secondary authorial transgredience and even a chain of intertextual secondary authorial outness (Marlow, Goethe, Bulgakov, Thomas Mann, etc.).



The Cultural Anxieties in the Ghost Story by Edith Nesbit ‘From the Dead’ (1893)
Abstract
The article examines the representation of the phenomenon of ‘the new woman’ in the ghost story From the Dead (1893) by Edith Nesbit. The study focuses on social and cultural anxieties in the period of Victorian fin de siècle connected to the shifting gender boundaries as well as provoked by transformation of the traditional woman’s image that had previously been associated with ‘angel in the house’. The principles governing Gothic literature extend the situation of unresolved crisis and emphasize ‘the otherness’ of ‘the new woman’ within traditional Victorian ideology. Moreover, depiction of female figures in ghost stories presupposes victimized position and functions as coded criticism of public institutions that guarantee subordinated female status. The Gothic short story abounds in Biblical allusions which help to see the roots of the inner conflict; in addition, through depicting the materiality of the dead body Nesbit exploits the repulsion expressed by the protagonist to stress the out-of-place ‘new woman’ and demonstrate how the new forms of female subjectivity are excluded and kept peripheral. ‘The new woman’ represented in the form of the reanimated dead takes the place of the abject and threatens traditional social order. Thus, gothic conventions function as markers of non-articulated negativity connected with institutions that are supposed to be central for patriarchal culture and express triumph over rational cause. The paper concludes that the narrative pattern of a Gothic tale presupposes the situation of unsettled conflict which points out a problem of exclusion of ‘the new woman’ from the social realm. The act of separation serves as criticism of Victorian gender codes that are based on female obedience and subordination. The topic of female empowerment is presented through the metaphor of a highly material but still transgressive image of the dead.



The Novel ‘Crime and Punishment’ in the Socio-Cultural Context of China of the 1920s
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of the reception of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment in China in the 1920s. At that time, China was undergoing a period of political, social, and cultural upheaval in which nationalism, the New Culture Movement, and Marxist thinking intertwined with each other, exerting a significant influence on public perception and cultural values. Against this background, the way in which Dostoevsky's works were interpreted, commented on, and disseminated is crucial for understanding the ideological changes and cultural development of Chinese intellectuals of the period.
This study employs the methods of empirical research, comparative literary studies and analytical methods of historiography and modern communication studies. The article deals with documentary evidence and provides historical analysis of Dostoevsky's works in the socio-cultural context of China of the 1920s. It analyzes the reasons for the special attention to the novel Crime and Punishment in China and its wide influence on Chinese readers, traces the way of distribution and the reception of Dostoevsky's works in the country in the 1920s. By examining the views on the novel of famous Chinese scholars such as Mao Dun, Sun Fu Xi, Wang Tong Zhao, Hu Yu Zhi, Zhen Zheng Duo, Zhou Zuo Ren, Jiang Qi Fan, Qu Qiu Bai, and others, we understand how they evaluated the plot and the moral issues raised in the novel and how the literary ideas of these scholars echoed or contradicted Dostoevsky's ideas. Studying these issues contributes to the analysis of discussions and debates that Crime and Punishment provoked in the Chinese literary world at the time, as well as of the impact that the novel had on the development of Chinese literature.



Fictionalized Biography in the French Graphic Novel of the 21st Cen-tury (based on works by B. Egger and M. Poirson & R. Maraï)
Abstract
The representation of a famous person, in particular a famous writer, became one of the significant areas of literary creativity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The genre of fictionalized biography allows authors to create works that are at the intersection of fiction writing and literary studies. This article deals with two graphic novels by contemporary French authors: Molière: du saltimbanque au favori (2022) by M. Poirson and R. Maraï, Moscou endiablé, sur les traces du Maître et Marguerite (2013) by B. Egger. These works have not been translated into Russian. Using the example of these graphic novels, the article identifies the main features of fictionalized biography and the peculiarities characteristic of this genre in the French literature of the 21st century. The contemporary writers provide a global view of the human ability to resist the society in which one lives while choosing his/her own path based on the relationship with creativity. The novelists gain this perspective by reinterpreting the life of a famous author and placing at the heart of the work personas of famous writers from different centuries that were marked by turning points in the history thereof (17th century in France in the Poirson and Maraï’s book and the beginning of the 20th century in Russia in the Egger’s graphic novel). The genre of the graphic novel allows their authors to combine visual and textual components, forcing the reader to rethink, ‘reread’ already known facts, and literally take a fresh look at the famous person whose fate they connect with their own, as well as with the general history of the world literary process, which should encourage the reader to make their own moral choice.



The Phenomenon of Childhood and the Image of the Child in G. Hauptmann’s Late Drama ‘Iphigenie in Aulis’
Abstract
The article discusses the perception by the late Hauptmann of the phenomenon of childhood and the closely related image of the child, which reveals the specificity of the playwright’s worldview in comparison with his early works, contributes to clarification of the complex creative process connected with the expansion of the writer’s conceptual horizon. Hence the objectives of the present study are as follows: to identify the principles underlying the poetics of Hauptmann of the late period; to reveal the playwright’s theoretical positions concerning the phenomenon of childhood and the image of the child; to substantiate the nature of Hauptmann’s existential searches connected with the paradigm of continuous renewal; to provide reflections on the game model presented by Hauptmann as a dramatic genesis of childishness; to show, using the example of the drama Iphigenie in Aulis, the unique thinking of the girlchild, the acquisition by the game consciousness of a new existence.
The analysis revealed contextual Hauptmann’s connections with the game discourse of his epoch (Groos, Buytendijk, Huizinga), the dramatist’s close world-view contact with 18th-century game traditions (Goethe, Schiller). The modernization of their basic positions concerns the ontological perception of game as the quintessence of childishness, which, being a property of the soul, is perceived by Hauptmann as a divine cosmic principle. The child, creating playing being in his/her consciousness, contributes to the manifestation of the game world essence. The study has found that the triad (unconscious childhood, the loss of unconscious childhood, conscious childhood), represented in theoretical works and only partially presented in children’s dramas of the early period, receives a full poetic embodiment in the late drama Iphigenie in Aulis. The creative idea of a child’s continual reflection, leading to a new spiritual birth, manifested in the early dramas through the game metaphor of sunlight, is reproduced in the later works as a moonlight gameplay. Iphigenie the child, having created a night proto-drama in her head, deprived of childhood in the visible being, finds it in the night darkness, which becomes her protection and support.


