Actualization of recursion as a type of linguistic anomaly in the translation of literary texts (based on the original and translation of J. Barnes' novel "Flaubert's Parrot")

This article is devoted to the study of recursion as a type of linguistic anomaly and the analysis of ways to convey it in the meaning and structure of a literary text. Recursion is considered a structural device that creates an effect of cyclicity, repetition, and self-similarity in the text. Based on the original text by English writer Julian Barnes, "Flaubert's Parrot" (1984), and its Russian translation by A. Borisenko and V. Son'kin (2017), recursive structures are examined on several levels: plot, lexical-semantic, and metatextual. It is argued that in Barnes’s texts, recursion is not a stylistic flaw but a key element that serves to reveal plot meanings. Examples from the original text and its translations into Russian demonstrate how recursion, embodied in the "stringing" of syntactic constructions upon one another, in lexical repetitions, and in the cyclical organization of the narrative, can be actualized in translation. The aim of the work is to identify recursive structures based on a comparative analysis of the original and the Russian translation, in conjunction with a translational analysis of the literary text and a descriptive method. The novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive analysis of recursion as a translational problem. Based on the conducted study, the authors conclude that a successful translation of such anomalies requires the translator not to perform a literal translation but to search for equivalents capable of conveying the complex artistic effect embedded in the text by the author. The significance of the work lies in deepening the understanding of recursion as an important element of the artistic fabric of postmodernist text, significantly enriching the meanings of episodes and sometimes transforming their semantic content. The results of the comparative study allow for a more complete disclosure of the meanings of the original text in order to improve the quality of translation. The main conclusions can be applied in practical translation courses and in courses on literary translation.

literary text, translation, recursion, linguistic anomaly, intertextuality, Julian Barnes, repetition, text structure, metatext, postmodernism