The Caspian Sea as Intertext: from the Old Russian Literary Tradition to Modern Mass Media (Reception, Concepts, Emotions)

Abstract

The article reveals cognitive and discursive potential of the Caspian Sea portrayal in the Russian literary tradition and modern Internet journalism. The research is based on individual works of Russian writers written in different genres, as well as works of domestic journalists, representing an unconventional reception of the picture of the world framed around the Caspian Sea. The paper draws conclusions about the ambivalent meaning of the image of the Caspian Sea, its mythological semantics; it shows the intertextual nature of the image of the Caspian Sea which generates ideas relevant for the author’s reality; it defines the main constitutive concepts creating the worldview characteristic of the Caspian region; and it reveals the spectrum of emotions expressing the individual author’s perception of the image of the Caspian Sea.