THE LANGUAGE OF SYMBOLS AND ITS FUNCTIONS IN THE LITERARY TEXT
Keywords:
Symbol, symbolic language, literary text, mythopoetics, semiotics, number symbolism, number seven, archetype, cultural memory, existentialism, composition.Abstract
This article analyzes the nature of symbolic language and its functions in literary texts. The study examines the theoretical approaches of Erich Fromm, Northrop Frye, Goblet d’Alviella, S. A. Ustyantseva, Yuri Lotman, Mircea Eliade, and Annemarie Schimmel to the concept of the symbol as a means of expressing abstract meanings through concrete forms. Particular attention is paid to the semantic, aesthetic, philosophical, compositional, and communicative functions of literary symbols. The main focus of the study is the symbolic meaning of the number “seven” in mythology, religion, folklore, and literature. A comparative and typological analysis is conducted based on the epic “Alpomish”, Alisher Navoi’s “Lison ut-Tayr”, Dino Buzzati’s “The Seventh Ward”, and Khurshid Dustmuhammad’s “The Road to the Silent Place”. The analysis demonstrates that the number “seven” functions as a universal mythopoetic code in different cultural and literary contexts. It expresses such meanings as sacredness, completeness, perfection, trial, purification, spiritual transformation, destiny, and death. The study also shows that symbolic elements may serve not merely as auxiliary details but as important structural components of a literary text, contributing to its semantic depth and polysemy.
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