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The sound metaphors of Karenin’s and Ableukhov’s character

https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2025-11-271-279

Abstract

This article considers certain features of the semiotic system in the novels “Anna Karenina” by L. Tolstoy and “Petersburg” by A. Bely, particularly the symbolism of bodily gestures, facial expressions, and visual details. The analysis is based on episodes involving the characters Karenin and the elder Ableukhov, where recurring motifs (carriage, paper, top hat) acquire a metapoetic status. It is shown how Bely, building on Tolstoy’s technique, constructs a unique semiotics in which the corporeal transforms into a verbal sign. Special attention is paid to intertextual echoes of the heroes’ images, which undergo transformation. Some intersections, noted in criticism, are consolidated into a unified system. Thus, “Petersburg” appears as an experimental work in which sound images form an independent level of the text’s supra-narrative organization.

About the Author

A. Molnar
University of Debrecen
Венгрия

Angelika Molnar, Ph.D. (Philology), associate professor

1, Egyetem Sq., Debrecen, Hungary, 4032



References

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For citations:


Molnar A. The sound metaphors of Karenin’s and Ableukhov’s character. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2025;(11(2)):271-279. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2025-11-271-279

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ISSN 2073-6355 (Print)