Chichikina D.O. «Narrative labyrinths» in stream-of-consciousness texts: definition, characteristics, and linguistic representation

The article explores the essence, genesis, and linguistic representation of the concept of the «narrative labyrinth» in stream-of-consciousness texts. In the introduction, the author views the text as a synergistic, anthropocentric complex system and states a hypothesis that the textual space is constructed by the interplay of narrative labyrinths of varying degrees of complexity. The complexity of narrative labyrinths correlates with the realization of individual-authorial meanings, which heighten the text's degree of individualization, aesthetic value, and semantic depth. The theoretical basis of the study is formed by the concept of narrative labyrinths, as suggested by U. Eco, who distinguishes between unicursal, Mannerist, and rhizomatic labyrinths, and works on labyrinths by O.P. Vorobyova, who differentiates simple, complex, and supercomplex labyrinths. Functional-semantic increments are investigated through the propositions put forth in works of O.V. Zagorovskaya, V.A. Kukharenko, I.A. Schirova, and E.D. Shmidt. The idea of the complication of narrative labyrinths is exemplified by an analysis of Virginia Woolf's novel «The Waves», in which the writer creates an illusion of characters' cognitive independence. The linguistic representation of narrative labyrinths of varying degrees of complexity is linked to changes in the meaning of artistic details used to create the image of the quasi-subject. Thus, the investigation of artistic details enables readers to attain more profound interpretive insights. Key words: labyrinth, narrative labyrinth, stream of consciousness, complexity, functional-semantic increments, psychological prose, author’s intention, anthropocentrism, artistic detail.