Argumentative potential of lexis in E.G. Vodolazkin’s novel ‘‘Laurus’’

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined by the sustained interest of contemporary linguistics and literary studies in implicit, non-logocentric forms of argumentation in literary discourse, as well as the need to rethink the persuasive potential of a text that is not based on explicit rational arguments. This article examines the argumentative potential of a literary text in terms of its ability to influence the reader through imagery, empirical experience, and symbolic interpretation of experience. The research problem lies in identifying the linguistic and compositional mechanisms through which literary discourse performs an argumentative function beyond the framework of the traditional logical-discursive model. The aim of the study is to analyze the linguistic, stylistic, and compositional means of implicit argumentation in the contemporary Russian novel. The empirical material consists of a text of the novel “Laurus” by E.G. Vodolazkin that represents a synthesis of literary, philosophical, and spiritual discourses. The research methodology includes stylistic analysis, elements of hermeneutics, narratology, and literary rhetoric; the theoretical basis is provided by concepts of latent argumentation developed in the works of O. Ducrot, Ch. Perelman, and other representatives of the rhetorical tradition. Results. The study demonstrates that the argumentative structure of the text is formed through empirically rich vocabulary, bodily and sensory imagery, symbolism of the path, fire, water, and the body, polyphony of narration, linguistic archaisms, and stylistic anachronisms. The scientific novelty of the work lies in interpreting the argumentation of a literary text as an existentially experienced and culturally mediated mode of persuasion, which expands traditional conceptions of argumentation limited to a logical-rational approach. Conclusion. Substantiate the idea that a literary text can perform an argumentative function through appeals to cultural memory, bodily involvement, and the spiritual intuition of the reader, opening prospects for further studies on the rhetoric of literary discourse, including within the context of Christian and philosophical prose.