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The Phenomenon of Mirroring in Edogawa Rampo’s Short Story “The Twins”
- Authors: Chernova I.V.1, Semina I.A.1
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Affiliations:
- Moscow State Linguistic University
- Issue: No 9(903) (2025)
- Pages: 124-131
- Section: Literary criticism
- URL: https://journal-vniispk.ru/2542-2197/article/view/342330
- ID: 342330
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Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine the distinctive features of mirroring in Edogawa Rampo’s story as a multi-layered literary phenomenon that integrates psychological, philosophical, and cultural dimensions. The study explores the semantics of the mirror within the structure, where it functions as a symbolic object connecting the plot with traditional Japanese conceptions; as an instrument of the protagonist’s identity crisis, wherein his reflection becomes a projection of the “Shadow” (C.G. Jung) and a fragmented “Self” (J. Lacan); as a metaphor for confessional discourse, where the formal death-row confession devolves into a simulacrum of repentance (J. Baudrillard). Special attention is given to Rampo’s transformation of doppelgänger archetypes through modernist aesthetics, creating a synthesis of Japanese cultural tradition and Western psychological theories. The conclusion posits that “mirroring” in the story serves not only as a plot-forming device but also as a universal mechanism for representing existential crisis.
About the authors
Iuliia Vladimirovna Chernova
Moscow State Linguistic University
Author for correspondence.
Email: iu.v.chernova@linguanet.ru
PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Russian and World Literature, Faculty of Translation and Interpreting, Senior Researcher of the Laboratory for Comparative Literature and Cultural Diplomacy
Russian FederationIrina Aleksandrovna Semina
Moscow State Linguistic University
Email: isemfirs@mail.ru
Doctor of Philology (Dr. habil.), Associate Professor, Professor at the Department of French Lexicology and Stylistics, Faculty of the French Language
Russian FederationReferences
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