PRINCIPLES OF PLOT CRAFTING IN R.L. STEVENON’S STORY “THRAWN JANET”

Abstract

The article examines the plot crafting principles in the Scottish writer R.L. Stevenson’s story “Thrawn Janet”. The system of episodes is organized according to the principle of alternation and contrasting opposition, in which in odd episodes there is a characteristic of Pastor Soulis, including a description of his appearance and lifestyle, the primary appearance in the story of the sorceress Janet McClour, whom he intends to accept into his house as a servant, the procession of the witch along a village street, a meeting with a black man in an old cemetery, the priest’s painful thoughts after this meeting, Janet’s suicide and unholy resurrection, the devil’s escape from the Balweary parish – the hero becomes isolated against the background of the general picture of the world, and the leading motive is the devil’s presence. In even episodes, the establishment of new and restoration of the lost ties of the protagonist with other characters takes place: with the inhabitants of the parish of Balweary and the old witch Janet; the key motive in them is the motive of divine protection, which arises in the arguments of parishioners about God, in the calls of the priest and Janet for divine protection and mercy, in the night scenes in the pastor’s house, in the conversation between Mr. Soulis and the maid, in the scene of the exorcism of the devil from the body of a dead witch, when divine retribution takes place in front of the pastor. The textual dominance of episodes marked by demonic activity, taking into account the semantic and constructive significance of the initial, central and final episodes, demonstrates the increased semantic meaning of infernal motives in the artistic world of the story and in this respect fully corresponds to the aesthetics of Gothic prose.