MULTIMODALITY OF TRANSDISCURSIVE TRANSITION IN DESCRIBING THE IMAGE OF THE CHINESE LEGEND OF THE WHITE SNAKE

Abstract

The article is dedicated to a comprehensive study of the image of the Chinese legend of the White Snake. Based on studies in the field of multimodality and transdiscursivity, the author analyses the linguistic, conceptual and extralinguistic features related to the image of the White Snake or Bai Suzhen in the legend and its modern adaptation. The author traces the development of the image concept in transdiscursivity, as well as the extent and reasons for the adaptation of the Chinese White Snake story. The article reveals the concept of the White Snake in the legend on the basis of the anthroponym and the hero’s functioning in the text, as well as through the multimodal characteristics of the image in its representation in cartoons of both purely Chinese films and films co-produced by China and the USA. The presented material allows to conclude that the Chinese cartoon is closer to the original legend of the White Snake, and a significant degree of adaptation of the image contributes to the expansion of the concept by adding some peripheral features, while the core concept of nobility remains unchanged.