SMALL STREET OF A BIG CITY AS A CHRONOTOPIC SYMBOL

Abstract

Classical, as well as, modern Armenian prose is one of the important components and enriching factors of world literature. No matter how dubiously we consider today's Arme­nian prose, nonetheless, it is still developing taking a very fruitful path.

Another problem is that this prose transformed by the imperatives and aesthetic taste of the time: the experimental novel finds its place next to the classical novel, the so-called newest story written based on computer material sits comfortably next to the prior short story.  Besides the abstract appears alongside with realism, rationalism is accreted by irra­tio­nalism, real life is suddenly mixed with the mythical one...

The enumeration can still be continued. But what is the reason of all these? As is rightly noted, "all these phenomena have their social, philosophical and aesthetic foundations, and if they are widespread, then they are not just due to individual preference, they express the thinking and style of the time as a whole, they are dictated not only by our national reality, but to one degree or another they  also express or reflect the global  processes taking place in the field of literature."

And thus the presented article is devoted to the examination of the short story series "4th Street" by one of the noteworthy figures of modern Armenian prose Davit Samvelyan or rather to the study of  a small street in a big city as a chronotopic  symbol.

From the literary perspective it is notable that the fourteen short stories of the series, that have no external traditional patterns in terms of composition, "suddenly" form a peculiar framework. Here, the smallest circuit, i.e., the small street with its characteristic components (building, church, smell, flag, balcony...) gradually becomes a unique symbol of the big city.

It is also noticeable that the writer’s narration is not limited to the street/city ratio: finally a peculiar literary biography of not so  far away past life  of our  Armenia is created, that revels national identity in a broad  chronotopic scope (hard social conditions of 1990s, war, complex human ties and relationships).