Precedent Names In The Comparative Tropes Of Modern Russian Prose

Abstract

The article examines the functioning of precedent names in modern Russian prose. They are analyzed as part of various comparative constructions – metaphors and similes. Precedent names are classified, and a number of thematic groups are distinguished, in which they are included: ancient mythonyms, names of biblical characters and saints, names of literary characters and folklore characters, names of historical figures and cultural figures. It is noted that the most voluminous group in quantitative terms is the group of names of literary characters. The second place is taken by the group of names of historical figures. The article shows that comparative tropes with precedent names characterize a character or narrator in different aspects (appearance, behavior, intellectual and moral qualities, speech features, social status, professional qualities, situations in which the character finds himself). Special attention is paid to the functions of precedent names. In modern prosaic texts they perform an intertextual function, an evaluation function, and in some cases a plot-forming function. The above-mentioned functions can be combined in a literary work. Modern prose is characterized by a tendency towards stylistic lowering of precedent names, which is reflected in the choice of their definitives and their inclusion in colloquial phraseological constructions.