SYMBOLIC MEANINGS OF ZOOMORPHIC IMAGES IN THE NOVEL OF NAGIB MAKHFUZ “THE THIEF AND THE DOGS”

Abstract

The article examines zoomorphic images in the novel “The Thief and the Dogs” by the Egyptian writer, Nobel Prize winner Naguib Mahfouz, which have a special symbolic meaning, carry out an expressive load, and are distinguished by philosophical depth. The article presents an extensive collection of zoomorphic images. The images that have a dominant position in the novel’s narrative and are distinguished by their plastic-voluminous image deserve special attention. Figurative-associative features are realized in the images of a dog, viper, mouse, etc. Through them, a reconstruction of the bourgeois world, philistine existence in an urban environment is carried out, which developed in people the habits (behavioral characteristics) of animals (predatory instincts, hypocrisy, acquisitiveness, etc.). When considering imagery, intertextual connections (zoomorphic association) and folklore matrix are taken into account. In this way, the individual author’s implementation in the text of the novel and the traditional (general cultural) interpretation are correlated.