The suitcase, briefcase, knapsack (on the semantics of objects in V. I. Belov's trilogy "The Sixth Hour")

The subject of the study in the article is the functioning of things in V. I. Belov's trilogy "The Sixth Hour." Through observations of one of the components of the material-object world of the novels (suitcase, briefcase, knapsack), the symbolic and metaphorical potential of the author's artistic writing is examined, along with its ability to intensively saturate particular objects with meaning, allowing the depicted items in the trilogy to be viewed from an ontological perspective. The aim of this article is to analyze the ontology and poetics of the things that accompany the characters in their journeys. Relying on the principles of ontological poetics, the author establishes how the objects depicted in V. I. Belov's trilogy "The Sixth Hour," by becoming part of human existence, create the foundational meaning of the work and become an integral part of the artistic text. The analysis of the novel material employs: a comparative-typological method, necessary for identifying elements of material description and their comparison; and a structural-semiotic method, which allows for the reconstruction of a fragment of the "material world" of the trilogy, ultimately revealing the peculiarities of the characters' worldview. As a result of the conducted research, conclusions are drawn that the things (suitcase, briefcase, knapsack) in V. I. Belov's trilogy "The Sixth Hour" constitute the ontological foundation of the "visible" plots and shape their logic, represent the fates of the characters, and serve as a material analogue of the internal world of the characters. Collectively, all three objects (the suitcase, the briefcase, and the knapsack) indicate that the trilogy captures a special moment in the life of the peasant universe – the disappearance of the main principle of the world order in the Russian village – harmony. The dispossessed heroes embark with their knapsacks on a journey along the roads of Russia and through the journey of life. The knapsack becomes a symbol of homelessness, disorder, and wandering, as well as a unique model of the new man. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that, for the first time, the objects in the trilogy are examined in relation to their existential status.

thing, ontology, journey, character, suitcase, briefcase, knapsack, emptiness, seeing off the soul, lad