The symbolization of the fragmented plot structure in Ludmila Ulitskaya’s novels
The symbolization of the fragmented plot structure in Ludmila Ulitskaya’s novels

Summary/Abstract: Ludmila Ulitskaya is considered by many to be a master of short fiction, and her novels aresometimes seen as an unsuccessful attempt to transcend the principles of the short forms. Thisarticle argues that Daniel Stein, Interpreter (2006; Eng. trans. 2011), The Big Green Tent (2010;Eng. trans. 2015) and Jacob’s Ladder (2015; Eng. trans. 2019) are a special type of novel basedon a duality that Yuri Lotman identified as the basic principle of the functioning of the semiosphere.The plot structure of Ulitskaya’s novels is, on the one hand, discrete, that is, manifestlyand strongly fragmented in space and time. On the other hand, however, it is continuous, that is,clearly unified through trans symbolization of the structure, which is less perceptible on the surface.These non-explicit structural connections gain symbolic attributes and play a fundamentalrole in ensuring the unity of the plot in three of Ulitskaya’s works.

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