The image of Moscow in travel narratives of contemporary French writers

Authors

  • Ekaterina Vladimirovna Kazakova N. I. Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/vestnik.11.303-313

Keywords:

travel account, image of the city, national unconscious, stereotype, imagology

Abstract

Born in the fifth century BC for utilitarian purposes, the travel narrative is a common genre in modern literature. Description (nature, cities, inhabitants, symbols, personal impressions and associations) is the main and immutable component of these works, while action also plays a supporting role. The genre of travel narrative has gained particular popularity over the last thirty years, not only in Russia but also abroad, despite the fact that traveling has become more accessible to everyone. This situation has changed the concept of such works, and consequently their content. The image of Moscow is analysed from the travelogues of French authors published from 2008 to 2016, most of which describe the trans-Siberian voyage. The means of delivering of the author's vision, their perception of the city and the interpretation of what they have seen, are diverse and conditioned by different factors: nation, profession, biography, gender, travel intentions, as well as previous cultural experience and mastery of the Russian language. Thus, the image of Moscow is revealed in the indicated works through historical facts, memories and comparisons with the past image of Moscow, toponymy, the morphology of the city, its people and meetings with them, and also through a comparison of prejudices and what is real. It is ultimately the national and personal unconscious that emerges in the sense of the foreign capital.

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Published

30.12.2019

How to Cite

Vladimirovna Kazakova, E. (2019). The image of Moscow in travel narratives of contemporary French writers. Journal for Foreign Languages, 11(1), 303–313. https://doi.org/10.4312/vestnik.11.303-313

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Section

Articles