LINGUISTIC REPRESENTATION OF THE PHENOMENON OF INITIATION IN “THE COUNTRY OF THE BLIND” BY H.G. WELLS

Abstract

The object of the research in the given article is the socio-cultural phenomenon of initiation in its linguistic representation in the story by H.G. Wells “The Country of the Blind”, this linguistic representation of initiation being the subject-matter of the analysis. The work is aimed at interpreting the description of the main hero’s stay in the Country of the Blind through the prism of the initiation rite. By means of the hermeneutical analysis of the language material of the text in the course of the study the authors reveal certain markers of the functions, various types, structure and scenario of the ritual under investigation. The research results in the claim that the literary work “The Country of the Blind” contains the archetypical motif of initiation. The research materials provided by the article can be used in the university courses of text interpretation and cultural linguistics, as well as in the work on a course paper, a final qualification paper, a master’s thesis and a PhD dissertation.