The toponymic space of A. Bely's novel "The Moscow Crank"

Kuzemina Yuliya Vladimirovna Postgraduate student; Faculty of Philology; Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) Teacher of Russian language and literature; GBOU School No.2070 117587, Russia, Moscow, Sumy ave., building 2, building 5 yslagrimi@mail.ru

At the present stage of the development of world science, the most intensive development of those areas of science is noted, which include various elements of scientific directions at the junction of which they arose. Toponymy, the subject of which is a toponym — an element of the toponymic space studied in this study, is an interdisciplinary field of philology formed at the junction of geography, history and linguistics. In the linguistic aspect, the concept of "toponymy" is usually understood as a set of geographical names inherent in a certain area or as a section of lexicology that studies geographical names ^{[1, pp. 477-478; 2, pp. 322; 3; 4]}. To denote an ordered set of toponyms adopted in a certain ethnic group or used in a certain language/work, the term "toponymic system" has also been used in recent studies, for example, in the dissertation study by A. Y. Ilyina ^{[5 , p. 8]} and a number of foreign studies ^{[6; 7]}. The concept of "toponymic system" is close to the subject of this study — the toponymic space of the writer.

The object of toponymy study is a toponym, which in a more general sense is a geographical name ^{[8, p. 117]}. Toponyms, which make up an important part of artistic works and are a reflection of the author's chronotope, are a way to create a toponymic space of a work.

Toponymic space is one of the varieties of onomastic space. This term was originally used to denote all proper names functioning in a particular language ^{[9, p. 33]}, and then began to be understood more broadly as the sum of all synonyms naming objects and their individual states, regardless of the degree of reality of this object ^{[10, p. 9; 11, p. 95]}, this is especially typical for fiction, in which there are both designations of real objects and objects invented by the writer.

To study onomastic space in modern science, a field approach is used to isolate the core and periphery of the group of onyms. According to O. V. Peteshova's research, the core of the onomastic space includes anthroponyms, i.e. personal names of people. Toponyms, in her opinion, are included in the near-nuclear zone and form the periphery of the onomastic space ^{[12, p. 80]}. It is necessary to disagree with this opinion in the study of onomastic space in fiction, in which, in our opinion, toponyms together with anthroponyms create the necessary semantic framework. Therefore, toponyms should also be included in the core of the onomastic space of any literary creation. According to E. M. Levina, toponyms used by writers are used in fiction not only in a nominative function to designate certain geographical objects, but also often are a way of creating an associative background due to the presence of added sub-meanings in them, and also reflect the emotional and evaluative perception of fictional reality by the author of a work of fiction ^{[13, p. 591]}.

This study examines the toponymic space of one of the works of A. Bely (1880-1934), a leading figure of Russian symbolism and modernism. The toponymic space in this article, following O. V. Royko, is understood as "a subjectively significant paradigm of geographical objects-codes named by real or fictional IS [proper names] — identifiers of geographical objects with which a person identifies himself at a strategically important moment of being for self-identification" ^{[14, p. 483]}.

The work "The Moscow Eccentric" ^[15], written in 1926, is the first part of the epic "Moscow", the main idea of which is to describe the decomposition of the foundations of pre-revolutionary life and individual consciousness in bourgeois society. By using the continuous sampling method, we have identified 106 toponyms that make up the toponymic space of this work. When taking into account the repetitions of individual toponyms, the number of components of the toponymic space of Roman A. Bely is 238 toponyms. The core of the toponymic space, according to the method of quantitative analysis, is the toponym Moscow, which is used 53 times within the framework of this work, which is 22.3% of the total number of toponyms, including their repetitions. For example: "... I went by mail to Moscow to the supervisor of the first Moscow gymnasium" ^[15]. Toponyms used by the writer more than once should be included in the near—nuclear space: Tabachikhinsky Lane (17 repetitions — 7.1%), China in the Chinese word form (7 repetitions - 2.9%), Paris, Berlin, Mokhovaya [street in Moscow], Kuznetsky [Kuznetsky Most Street in Moscow] (5 repetitions each — 2.1%), Russia, Arbat (4 repetitions each — 1.7%), Gnilozubovy Lane, Petrovka, Prechistenka, Tartar (three repetitions each — 1.3%), Caucasus, Nice, Saratov, St. Petersburg, London, Greek (word form from Greece), Siberian (word form from Siberia), Varvarka, Sennaya, Moskvich and Moskovsky (word forms from Moscow), Veal Playground, Petrovsky Boulevard, Saint-Trou-de-l'Aigle (two repetitions each — 0.8%). The remaining toponyms used at one time in the novel "The Moscow Eccentric" (for example, the Caucasian Ridge, Lilyukhinsky Lane, Malaya Lubyanka, Kazan, Samara, Oxford, Stockholm, etc.) should be attributed to the periphery of the toponymic space of A. Bely, according to the field research method.

As can be seen from the above examples, the core of the toponymic space (toponym Moscow), which is also included in the title of the novel in one of its word forms, is the dominant element of the chronotope of the work of art, since the main part of the toponyms used by the writer are associated with the space of Moscow: these are the names of streets and alleys (Plyushchikha), boulevards (Tverskaya Boulevard), squares (Arbatskaya Square), districts (Yakimanka), railway stations (Bryansky railway station), mountains (Voronukhina Gora), monasteries (Strastnoy Monastery), houses (Kurchagin's house), etc. Due to the abundance of these and other toponyms associated with Moscow, the writer retrospectively comprehends the historical area of the capital, describing it through the prism of his own artistic worldview.

The main characteristics of A. Bely's novel "The Moscow Eccentric" are, firstly, the satirical direction of thought, which leads to the conventionality of the image of space; secondly, the historicity of events, which explains the presence of a large number of toponyms that actually exist in the modern world. Due to the conventionality and at the same time historicity of the work, the toponymic space of the novel can be divided into two groups of toponyms: real and occasional / fictional ^{[16; 17]}.

Real toponyms in the toponymic space of Roman A. Bely occupy a leading position: this group includes 100 units, which is 99.1% of the total number of non-repeating toponyms. For example: Russia, London, Malaya Bronnaya. The names of historical geographical places that no longer exist in the modern world are also included in the composition of real toponyms. For example: "A connection has been established with Constantinople" ^[15]. The toponym Constantinople is the ancient name of the city (before 1930), known today as Istanbul ^{[18, pp. 395-396]}. Real toponyms should also include names that did not actually exist in the toponymic space on a global scale, but are now widely known from religious and mythological sources. For example: "... facade after facade hangs over the flaming Tartarus" ^[15]. The toponym Tartarus was originally included in the toponymic space of Greek mythology for the nomination of the abyss in the bowels of the earth, where Zeus overthrew the Titans, as well as the realms of the dead ^[19]. It should be noted that some real toponyms are used by the writer in the author's spelling, as in the case of the name of the city of Buenos Aires (in the novel: Buenos Aires).

The group of occasional toponyms in the toponymic space of the novel includes 6 nominations (0.9%). Among them, it is necessary to highlight, first of all, the name of the main place of action in the novel, the address location of the main character — Tabachikhinsky Lane. This lane, invented by the author and which actually does not exist in modern and even historical Moscow, has a significant role in the novel, which emphasizes the high degree of conventionality of the image of the artistic world of A. Bely in his chronotope. The group of occasional toponyms also includes the nominations Lyulukhinsky Lane, Gnilozubovy Lane (by analogy with the above-mentioned occasional toponym), Rejoice-Tabachikha, Veal Playground (by analogy with the historical toponym Dog Playground / Square), Saint-Trou-de—l'Aigle (to create a characterological portrait of a minor heroine, different from other characters - Muscovites in appearance, habits and speech portrait).

The toponymic space of the novel "The Moscow Oddball" can be divided into separate groups, according to the designated objects. In the semantic classification, four groups of them are distinguished: hypertoponyms, macrotoponyms, regiononyms and microtoponyms ^{[20, p. 754; 21, p. 150]}. In the work of A. Bely, microtoponyms occupy a dominant position (45 units — 42.5%), which are most often designations of Moscow spaces, for example: Rostov Sixth [lane]. Macrotoponyms are in second place in terms of frequency of use (27.4%), nominating large regions and objects, capitals, large cities (with populations above a million people): Kazan, Moscow, Paris, etc. Somewhat less frequently, hypertoponyms are distinguished in the toponymic space of A. Bely — nominations of countries, continents and other geographical objects of maximum volume and size (22.6%): for example, England, Earth. In some cases, the toponymic space of the analyzed novel includes region names (7.5%) — nominations of small towns, rivers, etc.: Moskva River, Yakimanka, etc.

In the field of semantics and the designated object, the toponymic system is divided into separate varieties. In the scientific work of toponymic researcher S. N. Basik and foreign researcher T. Laansalu, such varieties of toponyms as hydronyms, oronyms, oikonyms, dreamonyms, urbanonyms, dromonyms, horonyms, agroonyms are given ^{[22, pp. 19-21; 23, p. 78]}. When studying the toponymic space of Roman A. Bely, it is also necessary to include some additional varieties of toponyms identified in toponymic studies of recent years, namely theonyms, astronyms, metonyms ^{[24, p. 124]}.

The structure of the toponymic space of the novel "The Moscow Crank" includes, first of all, urbanonyms — the names of inner-city objects, which are highlighted in 39 cases (36.8%). For example, the names of Moscow streets Varvarka, Spiridonovka, Malaya Nikitskaya. In the second place in terms of frequency in the analyzed work are oikonyms — names of cities (22.6%): Saratov, Kazan, Edinburgh, Nagasaki. In the third place in the toponymic space are ethnotoponyms (18.9%), which are nominations of ethnic groups or objects belonging to certain ethnic groups: Muscovite (from Moscow), Briton (from Britain), Swedish (from Sweden). The fourth place is occupied by the names of the regions, districts, territories (8.5%): the West, Europe, America, the Far East. In four examples, the functioning of metonyms — renamed names of geographical objects (3.8%) is highlighted: Yekaterinodar (the former name of Krasnodar), Persian (from Persia — the former name of Iran), Bryansky railway station (the former name of Kievsky railway station), Ust-Sysolsk (the former name of Syktyvkar). In three examples, theonyms are highlighted — religious and mythological names (2.8%): the above—mentioned Tartarus, as well as Sodom (from the name of Sodom - a famous biblical city, which, according to the Bible, along with the city of Gomorrah were destroyed by God for the sins of the inhabitants), Jacob's ladder (a biblical toponym, the name of the staircase connecting earth and heaven). Oronyms, i.e. names of relief features, are also highlighted in 2.8% of cases: the Caucasian Ridge, Mount Voronukhina, Mount Mukhina. Two examples (1.9% each) belong to the group of hydronyms — names of water bodies (Moskva River, Oder) and astronyms — names of celestial bodies (Pleiades, Earth).

The toponym Pleiad from the group of astronomers in the novel by A. Bely is used in the direct meaning of "star cluster", although in modern Russian it is possible to use this astronym in the meaning of "the totality of something" ^[19].

On the other hand, some toponyms that are part of the toponymic space of the novel "The Moscow Crank" are used in a figurative sense. For example: "Here's a bedbug for you, for someone else."^[15] The toponym of Palestine, which in its direct meaning is the nomination of a partially recognized state in the Middle East, is used figuratively in the novel to reflect a rich, beautiful, desirable place of residence, based on the religious implications of mentioning this toponym.

Separately, we will highlight the toponym Oder, which is played out in the context of the novel and creates a kind of pun: "— Great: "entweder" is not "oder"! Entweder, dressed in a brand-new blue—green uniform (with white piping), intervened: "This time you, Biterbarm, made a mistake: after all, my ancestors lived on the Oder."^[15] At the first mention, the oder lexeme in combination with the entweder lexeme are transcribed German words with the meaning "or, or", but in a further context they are reinterpreted by the reader: the word entweder becomes a character nomination, and oder becomes a hydronym.

According to the conducted research, it is possible to draw a conclusion about the voluminous and organic toponymic space created by the writer A. Bely in the novel "The Moscow Eccentric". The analyzed toponyms construct the historical outline of a work of art, and also reflect the secondary world of the writer due to their occasionality. Most of the toponyms of the real world create an image of modern Moscow for the writer, whereas toponyms — nominations of foreign geographical objects are designed to reflect the bourgeois foundations of 20th-century Moscow society. The scientific novelty of the conducted research consists in conducting a comprehensive analysis of the toponymic system, taking into account the frequency of their use, the degree of reality /occasionality, semantics and the designated object of real and at the same time fictional Moscow.