The specifics of using phraseological units in the artistic prose of V. Pelevin

Koveshnikova Anna Vladimirovna ORCID: 0009-0005-7561-2532 Russian Language Department; Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School named after V.F. Margelov Postgraduate student; Faculty of Russian Philology and National Culture; Ryazan State University named after S.A. Yesenin 18 Dzerzhinskiy str., square 12, Ryazan, 390005, Russia, Ryazan region anutka.rodckina@yandex.ru

Introduction

Phraseological units are an integral part of the Russian language in general and the speech of its native speakers in particular. They are used by the authors of works of art to express creative individuality and language play with the reader, as well as as a means of creating imagery and expressiveness. To one degree or another, "individual authorial change of stable verbal complexes is characteristic of the language of most Russian writers (N. V. Gogol, A. P. Chekhov, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, F. M. Dostoevsky, M. Gorky, M. A. Sholokhov, V. M. Shukshin, D. N. Mamin-Sibiryak, etc.)" ^{[1, p. 6]}. The transformations do not correspond to the normative use of the original phraseological units, which is explained by the search for original ways of expressing meaning and strategies of text generation, this is the uniqueness and artistic originality of an author.

Currently, there is a special interest in the study of various theoretical issues of the functioning of phraseological units, "to the forms and methods of attracting the attention of the readership, one of which is the appeal to phraseological units as nationally marked units of language" ^{[2, p. 62]}. Stable combinations contain cultural heritage, emphasize the originality and expressiveness of speech, act as a means of updating the experience of previous generations and carrying out a dialogue between the author and the reader on the basis of belonging to a single cultural code, a single cultural community. One of the main goals of the author's transformations of phraseological units in a work of art is "to achieve a brighter communicative effect – to revive the image, enhance its expression, overcome the "inertia of perception" of a stable unit, and strive for original self-expression" ^{[3, p. 53]}.

Phraseological units transformed or created by the author of a work of art based on the usual (linguistic) methods are directly related to the development of the general linguistic phraseological system and the expression of the author's worldview. The use of such units in a literary text, playing with their structure and semantics "are subordinated to the author's intentions, determined by the author's linguistic personality and can act as a characteristic of his idiosyncrasy" ^{[4, p. 222]}.

Purpose, material and research methods

The purpose of the study is to identify the specifics of the use, transformation and creation of author's phraseological units in V. Pelevin's fiction and establish their relationship with the writer's idiosyncrasy.

The material for this study was the literary prose works of V. Pelevin, including "S.N.U.F.F." (2011), "The Caretaker" (2015), "The Lamp of Methuselah, or the Extreme battle of the Chekists with the Masons" (2016), "iPhuck 10" (2017), "Secret views of the Mountain Fuji" (2018), "The Art of Light Touches" (2019), "The Invincible Sun" (2020), "TRANSHUMANISM. INC." (2021), "KGBT+" (2022), "Journey to Eleusis" (2023), "Cool" (2024).

The research uses methods of analysis, thematic classification and systematization of linguistic material, the method of contextual analysis, the hermeneutic method and the descriptive-analytical method. The methodological basis of this work was the works of V. V. Vinogradov, V. N. Telii, N. V. Malysheva, A.M. Melerovich, V. M. Mokienko, N. A. Bozhko, I. Yu. Tretyakov, devoted to the theoretical aspects of the study of phraseology and the individual author's transformation of phraseological units.

Results and discussion

Interest in studying the specifics of author's transformations of phraseological units in comparison with normative usage arose in the 1950s and 1960s. A broad and narrow understanding of phraseological units, their classification and structural and semantic specificity are reflected in the works of V. V. Vinogradov ^[5], V. P. Zhukov ^[6], V. N. Telia ^[7] and others. The phenomenon of individual authorial transformations and accidents in phraseology is studied in the works of A.M. Melerovich, V. M. Mokienko ^[8], N. V. Malysheva ^[9], I. Yu. Tretyakov ^[10], N. A. Bozhko ^[11] and others. According to N. V. Malysheva, changing phraseological units is "a kind of oxymoron, since important categorical properties of phraseology are stability and fixation of meaning behind a certain verbal complex, at the same time subject to various kinds of transformations (phraseological variability)" ^{[9, p. 6]}. In this work, we are guided by the definition of N. A. Bozhko, who understands "phraseological transformation" as "any (phonetic, lexical, syntactic, etc.) deviation from the generally accepted norm, the ability to semantic and structural transformation, which generally does not violate the stability and semantic identity of the unit to itself, an improvised change" ^{[11, p. 5-6]}. It should be added that such changes can be carried out on the basis of one or more techniques simultaneously.

To date, there is a lack of consensus in the works of researchers on the types and techniques of authorial transformations of phraseological units. Ogoltseva uses the term "author's phraseology" and defines it as "typical for a particular author techniques of "creative processing" of linguistic stable expressions" ^{[3, p. 53]}. G. N. Abreimova identifies "customary (linguistic)" and "occasional (individually authored)" techniques of transformation of stable expressions ^{[1, p. 5]}. N. A. Bozhko defines "individually authored phraseological units" as "neoplasms that occur in the text of only one author" ^{[11, p. 6]}, and considers "occasional phraseological units" as "having undergone structural-semantic or semantic transformations caused by the communicative and pragmatic tasks of the author of the text, which retained derivational connections with motivating phraseology" ^{[11, p. 10]}. The lack of a unified point of view on the issues we have identified is explained by the complexity and multidimensional nature of the phenomenon itself, as well as the continuous replenishment of the qualitative and quantitative composition of transformations.

The results of the study showed that V. Pelevin's fiction uses phraseological units everywhere, they are reinterpreted, transformed in accordance with the techniques chosen by the writer and used according to linguistic norms, that is, without changes. Individual authorial transformations in the writer's works have not been studied sufficiently and are presented fragmentally in the works of researchers. In the work of E. A. Osokina considers "aphoristic and idiomatic" as linguistic features of the writer's idiosyncrasy, as well as "the deployment and implementation of idioms" ^{[12, p. 99]}. A. A. Kirpichnikova, studying the features of translating a postmodern novel into English, writes that the language game in the novel "Generation "P" is "manifested" in free use of phraseological units" ^{[13, p. 89]}. N. V. Kritskaya and V. V. Sidash, exploring the specifics of the transfer of the writer's idiosyncrasy in the English translation of the novel "Generation "P", note the "reinterpretation of aphorisms and idioms" ^{[14, p. 36]}. Nevertheless, to date, there are no scientific papers in which the phraseological fund of the writer is comprehensively investigated and the techniques of author's transformation of phraseological units are systematized.

This work is based on the classification of individual authorial transformations of phraseological units by A.M. Melerovich and V. M. Mokienko ^[8]. Researchers distinguish semantic and structural-semantic transformations. The first group includes stable expressions in which the changes relate to the semantic and/or stylistic level in the original lexico-grammatical structure. The second group includes phraseological units with a modified component composition, while the grammatical form can either undergo transformation or remain the same.

Currently, there are different points of view about which units should be classified as phraseological units. A narrower interpretation is found in the works of V. V. Vinogradov ^[5], V. P. Zhukov ^[6], a broad understanding is reflected in the works of V. N. Telia ^[7]. In this study, we rely on a broad interpretation of phraseological units and include idioms, proverbs, sayings and catch phrases. The selection of linguistic units and their analysis showed that various types of stable combinations and expressions are widespread in V. Pelevin's fiction. Modified phraseological units are used by the writer mainly in the colloquial speech of the characters, making it the most colorful and expressive. It should be noted that the author often uses several techniques at the same time, which to some extent blurs the boundaries between the groups we have identified. We resolve this contradiction in favor of the most significant transformation technique, in our opinion.

Semantic transformations of phraseological units are found quite often in the works of V. Pelevin. They are made possible by the author's reinterpretation of the meaning of stable combinations and expressions. This kind of transformation is realized using the technique of double actualization and literalization.

1. Double actualization of the meaning of a phraseological unit. This technique is a combination of "figurative basis and/or inner form" ^{[15, p. 329]}, "ordinary meaning and occasional meaning" ^{[16, p. 64]}. The simultaneous actualization of two semantic layers of a phraseological unit is observed in the following examples from the works of V. Pelevin: "I did not scold him, because everything ended well, and according to military tradition in such cases, debriefing is left for later" ^{[17, p. 51]}. The phraseology simultaneously implements a direct and figurative meaning, since the hero of Pelevinsky's novel is a combat pilot. "The comet flew past the black hole, turned slightly and sped off into space, twirling its tail..." ^{[18, p. 227]}. In this case, a figurative meaning and a direct meaning are realized, since the comet has a tail of dust or charged gas particles.

In our opinion, the following example deserves special attention, which clearly shows the process of actualization of first figurative, then direct meaning.:

... Keep your mouth shut.

"Exactly in a rag?" Serdyukov raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly,– Major Tonya said. – I'll give you an official one. We're all silent at times like this. ... ^{[19, p. 290]}.

2. The literalization of the meaning of the phraseological unit. This group includes cases of the use of components of stable combinations and expressions in the direct meaning (literally): "If a criminal case is an oil painting, then I'm still only at the stage of pencil sketches" ^{[20, p. 279]}; "I called a travel agency I know, and in fifteen minutes they arranged a hotel for me for two weeks, a one-way ticket, I said, where next – I'll decide on the spot) ..." ^{[18, p. 84]}.

The structural and semantic transformation of phraseological units in V. Pelevin's prose works is presented in the form of changes in the component composition, grammatical indicators, combinations of several phraseological units (contamination), etc.

1. Replacement of a component of a phraseological unit ("substitution" ^[21]). Another word or combination of words can serve as a lexical variant, as well as an individual author's continuation of proverbs, sayings, and catch phrases: "How many people," I replied, "so many pots with stale brains" ^{[20, p. 242]} - cf.: "how many people, so many opinions." In this case, it should be noted not only the substitution, but also the distant location of the elements of the stable expression.

Transformations are carried out in relation to verbal and nominal components, prepositional-case constructions, pronouns, etc. Verbs are mostly replaced by synonymous ones by the author: "If you don't want to, you'll want to" ^{[22, p. 270]} – cf.: "if you don't want to, you'll have to." In another example, a substitution occurs between contextual synonyms and is accompanied by the author's comment: "Let's wait and feel. I do not say "we will see" or "we will hear", because I do not have much confidence in what is being shown to us" ^{[18, p. 699]} – cf.: "let's wait and see."

The nominal component of a phraseological unit and its individual author's variant can be represented by its own or more often by a common noun: "And they control its [program–. ours] are not people (you can always come to an agreement with them), but another algorithm, such that Jupiter does not bring it" ^{[23, p. 67]} – cf.: "Lord do not bring it"; "Everything begins with the realization of this cornerstone fact" ^{[24, p. 261]} – cf.: "the cornerstone""In other words, one should push through the message that one should never give up, because man is the smith of his anvil" ^{[20, p. 465]} – cf.: "man is the smith of his own happiness." Replacing the name of an adjective with another word or a combination of words is also a fairly common technique in V. Pelevin's fiction: "Another one sells shorts, which none of the mentioned installers and finishers ... would even see in a flu dream" ^{[25, p. 16]} – cf.: "I did not dream in a terrible dream"; "After two hundred pages of these hideously self-satisfied scenes ... the narrative finally shifts from the wet point" ^{[25, p. 16]}. 244] – cf.: "to get off the ground." In comparison with other methods of substitution, the replacement of the numeral name is less common.: "At the sixteenth minute, the story is usually unearthed, it turns out that the author ... does not carry the sacred fire of diversity, followed by fifteen minutes of shame" ^{[20, p. 219]} – cf.: "five minutes of shame, and life goes on." In this example, along with the replacement, we note a reduction in the component composition.

Two or more components can be replaced simultaneously, for example, the structural models "adjective + noun" or "pronoun + noun". Such transformations are accompanied, as a rule, by changes in grammatical indicators (gender, number, case): "Don't we start life anew every single morning?" ^{[26, p. 176]} – cf.: "every single day"; "Let's go back to our mutton" ^{[20, p. 140]} – cf.: "let's get back to our sheep."

2. Reduction of the component composition of a phraseological unit ("ellipsis" ^[10], "implication" ^[1]). This technique is based on the "quantitative change of components in the direction of their reduction" ^{[10, p. 97]}, while the verbalized part contributes to the recognition of the entire unit and the mental completion of the reduced elements. In V. Pelevin's works, such transformations are quite common, they are used as a means of interacting with the reader and serve to enhance the meaning of the structural component included in the text: "These words were like a balm for Tanya" ^{[24, p. 361]} – cf.: "like a balm for the soul"; "The review of our first pancake follows below ..." ^{[20, p. 342]} – cf.: "the first pancake is lumpy"; "We took off, I curled up at the window and finally relaxed" ^{[18, p. 221]} – cf.: "curl up". Multicomponent stable units can be reduced by the author down to one word, thanks to which the original version is easily restored.: "Don't swear, mist" ^{[19, p. 11]} – cf.: "don't swear from prison and from the bag."

3. Expansion of the component composition of a phraseological unit ("explication" ^[27]). The technique is based on changing the structure of stable combinations and expressions by increasing them quantitatively, which leads to a rethinking and updating of semantics. This method of modification prevails in the language of V. Pelevin's fiction, and the linguistic units chosen by the author and included in the phraseology emphasize the features of his creative originality. Additional words can be words of different parts of speech and combinations of words.

New components, as a rule, refine and extend the semantics of existing ones. Pronouns can act in this role: "In the most general terms" ^{[23, p. 415]} – cf.: "in general terms"; "My jaw dropped" ^{[23, p. 427]} – cf.: "jaw dropped"; "Of course, it was a bug, but I was silent about it in a rag ..." ^{[26, p. 508]} – cf.: "keep quiet in a rag"; "Because as a child you don't know where the curve will take you" ^{[21, p. 34]} – cf.: "where the curve will take you". The use of definitions expressed by adjectives, participles, and ordinal numbers not only fulfills the function of clarification, but also realizes the connotative potential of phraseology, enhances its imagery and expressiveness: "The tension between the two alpha cats increased, the electric clouds thickened" ^{[22, p. 423]} – cf.: "clouds thicken (overhead)"; "He didn't need an art history ticket to life" ^{[20, p. 38]} – cf.: "a ticket to life"; "And any conversation makes me laugh ... while all sorts of Bulgarians and Portuguese smoke the warm sky nearby" ^{[28, p. 12]} – cf.: "smoke the sky".

The expansion of the component composition of stable combinations and expressions allows the author to concretize the object, detail the narrative, and fill it with expressivity: "I don't think the command to press PSRT to the nail was given from the very bottom..." ^{[26, p. 547]} – cf.: "press to the nail"; "Acheron is not to be trifled with" ^{[19, p. 11]} – cf.: "jokes are bad"; "But there are even more losers hoping to return to society through the backdoor of art..." ^{[26, p. 177]} – cf.: "the backdoor"; "All I wanted now was to be left alone in the Red House..." ^{[29, p. 81]} – cf.: "leave alone"; "We are now forced to guess by the spots of coffee grounds ..." ^{[29, p. 194]} – cf.: "guessing on coffee grounds"; "... may the earth be your down and silicone iPhone!" ^{[20, p. 470]} – cf.: "May the earth rest in peace."

Of particular interest from the point of view of artistic expression and idiosyncratic idiosyncrasy is the following example: "Nature is a fool, fate is a turkey, life is a penny, and Princess Mary is you know who" ^{[20, p. 290]} – cf.: "nature is a fool, fate is a turkey, life is a penny." V. Pelevin It offers the reader its own individual author's version of stable expression, while new components change the structure and semantics of the utterance, enhance expressivity. The incongruous elements are in the same row, reduced vocabulary and bookish are used. The additional component is not a word or a phrase, but a sentence.

4. Grammatical changes in the components of a phraseological unit. We include changes in categorical meaning and grammatical indicators in this group. The most frequent for V. Pelevin's fiction are "internal and external morphological and syntactic transformations" ^{[15, p. 331]}, as a result of which both single participles or gerunds, as well as participial and adverbial turns are used instead of the verb: "There is only God, only the source, only the force that brewed this mess" ^{[26, p. 374]} – cf.: "to make porridge." In addition to the technique we have indicated, we observe the use of an additional eta component in the refinement function. "In the center of the room there was a round table bursting with food" ^{[23, p. 268]} – cf.: "the table is bursting". In this example, the author also uses the technique of expanding the component composition and changing the word order (syntactic inversion).

The use of adverbs and adverbial phrases instead of verbs is also widespread in the writer's works: "Is the philosophical tape about philosophers? I asked, fooling around" ^{[20, p. 364]} – cf.: "fooling around"; "... "The second Legion of Augustus," as he repeated, as if trying every word by heart, and announced that a battle with the Parthians would be played" ^{[18, p. 179]} – cf.: "try it by the tooth." Morphological changes are accompanied by a transformation of the syntactic form, the adverbial turn does not just express an additional action, but is part of the comparative construction. The component composition of the original phraseological unit is expanded by specifying the object.

Another type of grammatical changes in phraseological units is considered to be the formation of substantive units from verb units. In this case, the connection with the original version is blurred to a greater extent and the semantic content of stable combinations changes: "If you, dear reader, also do not know about fembox (after the last tightening of the screws, the probability is, I think, thirty to fifty percent), I will briefly tell you what it is" ^{[26, p. 187]} - cf.: "to tighten the screws"; "I was, after all, a Praetorian negotiator - and I knew well how a successful brainwashing operation differs from a failure" ^{[26, p. 211]} – cf.: "brainwashing". The verb component is replaced by the substantive component and new structural elements of the latter are included in the refinement and operation functions, which leads to a weakening of the connection with the original version. "One thing was clear – Andron works in the field of high energies and instant responsibility for the bazaar" ^{[25, p. 12]} – cf.: "to be responsible for the bazaar"; "You will be looked at as an ordinary playboy" ^{[20, p. 470]} – cf.: "burning through life". Additional words of instant and ordinary meaning intensify the semantics of transformed phraseological units and make them more expressive.

The group of phraseological transformations we have identified also includes the use of the plural instead of the singular: "But what I saw in Paris struck me to the innermost depths of my soul" ^{[29, p. 8]} – cf.: "to the depths of my soul." In addition to changing the grammatical index of the number, we also note the expansion of the component composition by including the superlative of the adjective. "I knew that they like to pretend to be hoses" ^{[25, p. 110]} – cf.: "pretend to be a hose." In this example, V. Pelevin changes the word order for the greatest expressiveness of the spoken speech of one of the characters. "She grew up in Manhattan and with her mother's milk..." ^{[25, p. 322]} – cf.: "absorb with mother's milk." The writer does not finish the phrase, using ellipsis and the technique of understatement, as a result of which the verb component of the phraseology is omitted, but is easily restored by the reader.

5. Contamination of phraseological units, which is "the combination of several phraseological units" ^{[30, p. 40]}, "the union of linguistic units or their parts based on their structural, functional or associative proximity, leading to their semantic or formal change" ^{[31, p. 197]}. V. Pelevin refers to contamination as a stylistic device "aimed at updating the imagery of the initial units and creating a vivid and expressive artistic text" ^{[32, p. 51]}: "And when you arrive, we will take you by the hand with a hedgehog..." ^{[20, p. 31]} – cf.: "to take (to take) for the mind", "keep a tight rein"; "Relax and go with the flow" ^{[26, p. 399]} – cf.: "relax and have fun", "go with the flow"; "... you will be your own person in the water, haha..." ^{[23, p. 158]} – cf.: "like a fish in water", "one's own man"; "It was not worth going ahead, it was necessary to wait" ^{[26, p. 201]} – cf.: "to get into trouble", "go ahead"; "But if you want, I will honestly show you where my bell tower is buried" ^{[26, p. 552]} – cf.: "where the dog is buried", "looking from my bell tower"; "And then I start rubbing it in as written, I don't know where the words come from..." ^{[25, p. 52]} – cf.: "rubbing glasses", "as written".

6. Structural and semantic changes of a phraseological unit based on analogy by contrast ("single-structured antonyms" ^{[8, p. 238]}). This group of transformations includes cases of individual authorial reproduction of phraseological units in the opposite meaning, including some examples with the prefix not and the negative particle not, since the semantics of a stable combination as a whole enters into an antonymic relationship with the original version: "Sometimes silence is a sign of disagreement" ^{[28, p. 29]} – cf.: "silence is a sign of consent"; "So my conscience did not torment me" ^{[26, p. 85]} – cf.: "conscience torments". In another example, the prefix is not omitted, which also reverses the semantics: "In general, life went well" ^{[22, p. 480]} – cf.: "life did not go well." The most common way to implement this technique is to replace the phraseological unit component with an antonym word.: "Tanya also had a chance once, but the time was nasty and I had to play small" ^{[18, p. 55]} - cf.: "play big"; "There is truth in the legs" ^{[19, p. 214]} - cf.: "There is no truth in the legs"; "No it was not recovery, but the darkness at the end of the dazzling tunnel was already thickening quite clearly" ^{[24, p. 351]} – cf.: "the light at the end of the tunnel." In the last example, we note the expansion of the component composition by including the word dazzling, which leads to a change in the semantics of the entire expression.: The semantic emphasis shifts, the tunnel becomes dazzling, and at the end, darkness appears instead of light.

7. Structural and semantic changes of the phraseological unit, which are productive ways of forming occasional phraseological units according to the available structural models. We include cases of individual authorial filling of structural models of stable combinations in this variety. At the same time, it is possible to replace all components or save a significant component, thanks to which the original phraseological unit is recognized and restored. It should be emphasized that the main difference between the technique we have outlined is the mandatory restoration of the structure with the help of the linguistic units chosen by the author, as well as a rethinking of semantics and a partial or complete weakening of the connection with the original phraseological unit. In V. Pelevin's novels, this technique is widespread: "But Jupiter forbid to think about it during the day, because what a mortal has on his mind is on his tongue, especially if you drink" ^{[23, p. 25]} – cf.: "what a sober person has on his mind is on his tongue"; "... only think, divine one, what it was like for the bronze idol to change heads like hats" ^{[23, p. 297]} – cf.: "to change like gloves"; "In portraits in public places he was depicted as a handsome handsome man at the zenith of earthly life..." ^{[22, p. 112]} – cf.: "in the prime of life"; "A hedgehog can smell a hedgehog," the compassionate man grinned" ^{[22, p. 282]} – cf.: "a fisherman sees a fisherman from afar"; "A maple tree is knocked out with a maple tree" ^{[22, p. 306]} – cf.: "a wedge is knocked out with a wedge"; "The bazaar is rattling, but the deadline is coming" ^{[19, p. 209]} – cf."the dogs are barking, the caravan is on its way"; "Lord Franz Anton help," I muttered involuntarily" ^{[29, p. 110]} – cf.: "God help."

8. Structural and semantic changes of a phraseological unit, as a result of which occasional words arise or a component of a phraseological unit is reinterpreted and used autonomously ("the technique of destroying a model while preserving meaning" ^{[9, p. 7]}). This technique is implemented by V. Pelevin through the creation of his own phraseological derivatives and the individual author's use of stable combinations already existing in the language: "If you are reading these lines, then you are most likely already familiar with me (at least by hearsay)" ^{[20, p. 5]} - cf.: "firsthand"; "... in the case of Mara, my official aspect was not in demand, because the work assigned to me by this special person was limited to collecting information and various kinds of errands" ^{[20, p. 181]} – cf.: "(the boy) on errands". The following examples are of particular interest to us, as they are author's derivatives of phraseological units: "Five of them even had full-cycle hemodialysis machines for rich gentlemen who want to afford everything and go to work in the morning cucumber fresh" ^{[26, p. 181]} – cf.: "(fresh) like a cucumber." An adverb of a mode of action is formed on behalf of the noun, displacing the semantics of comparison, nevertheless, the semantic emphasis is preserved and intensified by the writer. "It was a little out of character" ^{[22, p. 306]} – cf.: "not comme il faut". In this case, the structural model and the initial semantic content are taken as the basis. Occasionalism is formed by the author on behalf of the noun male and introduces a new shade of meaning, translating phraseology from a high style to an emphatically reduced one, making the whole phrase the most expressive.

The results obtained by us in the course of the study showed that the individual author's transformations of phraseological units in V. Pelevin's fiction go beyond the existing scientific classifications, are more diverse and multifaceted. In general, the use of stable combinations in the texts of works attracts attention, as it expresses the peculiarities of the writer's idiosyncrasy, emphasizes the mastery of language and the meanings realized with it.

1. Phraseological units created by the author. This group includes "Pelevin phraseological units", which refer not to transformed, but to constructed ones. We consider these to be stable combinations in the following examples: "But take me to Slavyanka?" ^{[26, p. 315]}; "If Lyusik takes a man with a Praetorian implant to Slavyanka, it means that he is at least a Pretoria officer himself" ^{[26, p. 328]}; "Do you remember how to take Slavyanka?" ^{[19, p. 194]}. The phraseological unit take (take) Slavonic in the sense of ‘take external control’ is formed from the word slave-mode, which in Pelevin's understanding serves to connect another person to the implant in order to control it. Of particular interest is the fact that the phraseological unit created by the writer can also undergo structural and semantic transformations, for example, in the form of a replacement for the verb component: "Beethoven was included (always and without exception, this was the tradition) ..." ^{[22, p. 68]}; "... Beethoven often actually came on" ^{[22, p. 71]}; "She hinted at the common expression "to include Beethoven," that is, to discard the last hope" ^{[26, p. 230]}. The steady combination of Beethoven's music in its various variations is used by the author in the meaning of "disconnect the brain in the jar from life support systems." The composer's surname was not chosen by chance, the process of brain death, described in detail in the novel "Transhumanism. Inc." (2021), is performed under the "Moonlight Sonata" by Ludwig van Beethoven. The following example attracts attention, as it is graphically highlighted in the text of the work and accompanied by the author's interpretation: "Before tearing the feathers [Pelevin's italics] (that is, striking with spurs, any of which could be fatal), the roosters were supposed to converge chest to chest three times, waving their arms like fighting birds with wings" ^{[19, p. 218]}.

2. Expressions based on phraseological units. In this group, we include statements constructed by the author, which are paraphrasing phraseological units, borrowing motifs and plots. In this case, the structural organization is undergoing changes, but the semantic connection with the initial stable combination is preserved to a certain extent.: "I had time, but I didn't want to waste it – I had to urgently look for an invoice" ^{[17, p. 28]} – cf.: "without wasting time"; "It's like fining a china shop with an elephant inside for the noise made by mice at night" ^{[26, p. 262]} – cf.: "like an elephant in a china shop"; "Now, like Jupiter, he was throwing his green lightning from heaven" ^{[23, p. 454]} – cf.: "throwing thunder and lightning"; "Our dimension seemed to temporarily disappear for the Sky – and the "holy place", which could not be empty, began to be occupied by chimeras" ^{[25, p. 158]} – cf.: "a holy place is never empty"; "But my twenty–two–year-old conscience was not that pure - it was never taken out of the case where it was kept" ^{[29, p. 18]} - cf.: "with a clear conscience"; "We were about an hour we wound along the paths, briefly retreated to the Paradise No. 3 hut on the bank of a stream, then climbed an almost sheer cliff ..." ^{[29, p. 84]} – cf.: "with a sweet paradise and in a hut."

3. Graphic highlighting of phraseological units in the text of works. V. Pelevin often uses italics or capital letters to place semantic accents, the author uses the same technique when including stable combinations and expressions. In the examples below, the italics belong to V. Pelevin: "This is a symbolic father's house, replacing the banal throne room for the emperor" ^{[23, p. 36]}; "But instead the hinges of reality turn the wrong way again: you come to your senses and remember how things are" ^{[23, p. 45]}; "It was my a chance to shake the beads" ^{[18, p. 31]} – cf.: "to shake the old". In addition to the graphical selection in this example, we note the replacement of the antique component with the beads component.

Of particular interest to us is the use of capital letters when writing phraseological units that are included in the name.:

... There were reader reviews under the article. I've read the first four:

1. NOT BY THE WIND ALONE ... ^{[23, p. 216]} – cf.: "Man does not live by bread alone." The graphical selection is accompanied by a reduction in the component composition and the replacement of the bread component with the word wind.

In the following example, the phraseology is included by the author in the title of the article, while using capital letters and italics at the same time: "My alleged participation in the suppression of the buffoonery riot, which was written about by several tabloids (KGBT+ has BLOOD ON his HANDS and so on) is simply not true" ^{[26, p. 149]} – cf.: "My hands are covered in blood up to my elbows."

Conclusion

The results of the conducted research allow us to come to the following observations and conclusions. The use of idioms, proverbs, sayings, and catch phrases is a characteristic feature of V. Pelevin's fiction, occupies a special place in the creative method of the writer and is important in creating imagery and expressiveness of the author's works. Phraseological units are often transformed and reinterpreted, which is important for studying the idiosyncrasies of his idiosyncrasy.

In the course of the research, the main methods of transformation of stable combinations and expressions that are used by the writer were identified. These include semantic (double actualization and literalization of the meaning of a phraseological unit) and structural-semantic (component replacement, grammatical changes of components, contamination, analogy by contrast (single-structured antonyms), reduction or expansion of the component composition, the formation of author's phraseological units according to existing structural models and the use of occasional words created on the basis of phraseological units). It was found that the author can apply several techniques at the same time.

The selection of linguistic units, their analysis and description of the research results showed that the methods and techniques of transformation of stable combinations and expressions in V. Pelevin's prose go beyond the existing scientific classifications. In this regard, we have separately considered such features as the creation of "Pelevin phraseological units" and the paraphrasing of phraseological units, as well as graphic highlighting in the text using italics and/or capital letters.

It should be emphasized that the use of phraseological units and their transformations are subject to the author's tasks, carried out by the techniques and means of language chosen by the writer – thus V. Pelevin's creative manner, his unique and original handwriting is manifested. In this regard, we consider it possible to assert that the individual author's transformation of phraseological units is a constituent feature of his idiosyncrasy.