The article focuses on the transgressive aspect of selected images of carnal love in the novel Голубое сало (Blue Lard) by Vladimir Sorokin. It is claimed that the contro-versial, hyper-naturalistic representations of sexuality can be perceived as materializa-tion of discourses (carnalization, as Mark Lipovetsky suggests). The main structures of power examined in the novel are totalitarian regime and literary tradition. By using the trope of defamiliarization and lowering the pathos of the two great discourses of Russian culture, Sorokin allows the reader to distance himself from their influence and thus extend the autonomy of thinking.
The article is an attempt to answer the question of the way noir functions in the contemporary prose devoted to Moscow and the extent to which it affects the city’s literary image. The paper interprets selected works by Vladimir Sorokin, Roman Senchin and Sergei Kuznetsov. The analysis conducted by the author of the paper leads to the conclusion that the presence of the so-called “black naturalism” in the Moscow texts does not spoil the image of Russia’s capital, but complements it with new elements (previously hidden, but present since the old days). Therefore, Moscow becomes more real, tangible, flesh and blood as well as suitable for the worldwide tendency to create megapolises.
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