hd1

The Category ‘Time’ in V.Ya. Brusov’s Novella ‘The Sisters’

  • PDF
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑79‑114‑130
  • УДК / UDC: 821.161.1.09
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • For Citation:

    Koroleva, V.V., Pritomskaya, A.R. “The Category ‘Time’ in V.Ya. Brusov’s Novella ‘The Sisters’.” Vestnik slavianskikh kul’tur, vol. 79, 2026, pp. 114–130. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑79‑114‑130 
  • Author 1: Vera V. Koroleva
  • Information about the Author 1:

    Vera V. Koroleva — DSc in Philology, Associate Pro‑ fessor, Head of the Department of the Second Foreign Language and Methods of Teach‑ ing Foreign Languages, Vladimir State University, Stroitelei Ave., 11, 600024 Vladimir, Russia.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000‑0002‑7608‑9772

    E‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
  • Author 2: Alina R. Pritomskaya
  • Information about the Author 2:

    Alina R. Pritomskaya — Assistant, Vladimir State University, Vladimir State Univer‑ sity, Stroitelei Ave., 11, 600024 Vladimir, Russia.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009‑0006‑0948‑770X

    E‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
  • Abstract: The paper presents a comprehensive study of the category “time” in V.Y. Bryusov's novella “Sisters”. It is suggested that the passage of time in the novel is disrupted by the strong emotional experiences of the characters (a vicious connection), which creates a personal temporal breakdown (a feeling of falling out of time as a result of slowing down, accelerating or shifting the timeline), the cause of which is an unnatural alternate acceleration and deceleration of the timeline (periods of acceleration and retardation). V.Ya. Bryusov portrays a state of mind confronted with temporal breakdown and the unnatural passage of time through descriptions of the unhealthy, borderline state of the characters (delusions, visions, suicide, murder, infanticide). The paper describes the means of creating a personal temporal breakdown: lexical (direct lexical time markers, adverbs and verbs with fast and slow action semantics); syntactic (parcel, change of narrative rhythm, anaphora) and stylistic (repetitions, sound recording). There are a number of loci (“house”, “field”, “road”), as well as the image‑ symbol of a snowstorm, influencing the passage of time in the artistic space of the novel. The study concludes that the result of a temporal breakdown in the story is a break in the timeline of the characters and an exit into the space of immensity (death).
  • Keywords: category “time”, symbolism, temporal breakdown, locus, intertext.
  • Страницы / Pages: 114–130
  • Received: May 18, 2025
  • Approved after Reviewing: October 15, 2025
  • Publication Date: March 25, 2026

Current Issue