Lexico-semantic field and thematic-rhematic coherence as representatives of the archetypal "friend/enemy" dichotomy in Somerset Maugham's short story "A friend in need"

The article presents a comprehensive linguistic analysis of the representation of the archetypal "Friend/Enemy" dichotomy in Somerset Maugham's short story "A Friend In Need" through the prism of lexico-semantic fields and thematic-rhematic coherence. The relevance of the research is due to the growing interest in the study of cognitive and archetypal foundations of discourse, as well as the need to expand the methodological tools of text linguistics in the analysis of deep semantic structures. The problem of the work is related to the paradoxical combination of outwardly friendly behavior and deep hostility in the text of the story, which creates the effect of cognitive dissonance. The aim of the study is to identify and analyze the linguistic mechanisms of representation of this dichotomy through a system of interacting lexico-semantic fields and the features of thematic progression. The methodology is based on an integrated approach combining methods of component, contextual and distributive analysis with elements of discourse analysis. As a result of the study, the complex structure of the interpenetrating lexical and semantic fields "Friendship" and "Hostility" was revealed, the features of the thematic-rhematic progression with a gradual shift in focus from external characteristics to hidden motives were identified, stylistic techniques (irony, antithesis, euphemisms) that enhance the contrast between the external benevolence and internal hostility of the protagonist were analyzed. Special attention is paid to the final dialogue, which destroys the thematic-rhematic coherence of the text. The prospects of the research are related to the expansion of the analysis to other texts of S. Maugham's short stories in order to identify systemic linguistic mechanisms of representation of archetypal dichotomies, as well as to the development of an integrative methodology for the analysis of archetypal concepts in artistic discourse.