LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF RUSSIAN CLASSICAL LITERATURE AS A REFLECTION OF NATIONAL IDENTITY

Abstract

The article examines linguistic features of 19th-century Russian classical literature as a reflection of national identity, making it a significant subject of contemporary linguistic and cultural studies. The relevance of the research is due to the need to study the role of language in the formation and strengthening of national consciousness in the context of historical and cultural changes. The aim of the study is to identify the key lexical, syntactic, and stylistic devices used by Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky to convey the national values and mentality of the Russian people. The study employs linguistic and semantic analysis methods, as well as a comparative approach to examine the works of different authors. The scientific novelty lies in the deep analysis of the interrelation between archaisms, dialects, folk speech, and folklore elements used in literary works and their influence on the formation of the national literary language. For the first time, it has been thoroughly investigated how these linguistic means strengthen national identity and reflect the cultural and social characteristics of 19th-century Russia. As a result, the study draws conclusions about the significance of these linguistic features in shaping national consciousness, opening up perspectives for further research on national identity in the literature of other cultures.