THE ONOMASTIC SPACE OF THE NOVEL: FUNCTIONS OF PROPER NAMES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ARTISTIC WORLD
Abstract
This article explores the onomastic space of the novel and examines the functions of proper names in the construction of the artistic world. Drawing on the principles of literary onomastics, the study analyses how personal names, place names, and culturally marked proper names contribute to characterisation, spatial and temporal organisation, and thematic development of fictional texts. The research is based on a functional and structural-semantic approach, combining contextual, discourse, and comparative analysis of selected novels from different literary traditions. The results demonstrate that proper names function as meaningful narrative elements rather than merely nominative units, encoding social, cultural, symbolic, and ideological information. The interaction of various types of proper names forms a unified onomastic system that enhances narrative coherence and interpretative depth. The findings confirm the importance of onomastic analysis for understanding the mechanisms of artistic world-building and highlight its relevance for contemporary literary and linguistic studies.
Keywords
onomastic space; proper names; literary onomastics; artistic world; novel; characterisation; toponyms; narrative structure
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