SPATIAL CONFIGURATIONS IN ALEXEY SALNIKOV’S NOVEL “THE PETROVS IN AND AROUND THE FLU”

Abstract

The research undertakes a comprehensive analysis of spatial organization in A.B. Salnikov’s novel “The Petrovs in and around the Flu”, employing Henri Lefebvre’s theoretical framework of social space as its primary analytical lens. The investigation examines the multifaceted phenomenon of spatial modalities within the literary work, specifically focusing on three distinct dimensions: the alienated perceptual space, the differentiated conceptual space, and the absurdist lived space. Through meticulous examination of the text’s spatial organization, this study illuminates the fundamental existential predicaments characteristic of the post-Soviet subject. Of particular scholarly significance is the analysis of influenza’s metaphorical function as a catalyst for both societal disorganization and identity destabilization. The research substantiates the proposition that the novel’s spatial architecture serves as a complex reflection of contemporary Russian social reality, wherein the Petrov family narrative functions as a microcosmic lens through which to examine the broader mechanisms of social disintegration and cultural metamorphosis within post-Soviet society. The theoretical framework employed herein facilitates a nuanced understanding of how spatial configurations within the text operate as signifiers of broader sociocultural transformations.