Volume 04 Issue 10-2024
57
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
10
P
AGES
:
57-63
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
ABSTRACT
This article explores the poetics of space in the literary works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Franz Kafka, and Nazar Eshankul,
focusing on its fo
rms and characteristics. The comparative analysis of these writers’ works reveals distinct approaches
to the creation of artistic space. Additionally, the stylistic methods employed by each author in shaping the narrative
space are examined. The study also emphasizes the unique aspects of the poetics of space in prose compared to other
literary genres.
KEYWORDS
Dostoevsky, Kafka, Nazar Eshankul, prose, short story, novel, artistic space, artistic time.
INTRODUCTION
In literary works, particularly in prose, the choice and
depiction of artistic space is of significant importance.
Unlike poetic works, prose narratives are constructed
around plots that unfold within a defined time and
space. Characters are selected to fit the setting, or
conversely, the space is shaped to suit the characters.
In general, space serves as a central element that not
only creates the setting for events but also defines the
uniqueness of the plot, the characters’ personalities,
and the author’
s style. Therefore, the topic of artistic
space has long remained one of the pressing issues in
literary studies [1]. It is well known that artistic space
Research Article
THE POETICS OF SPACE IN LITERARY WORKS
Submission Date:
October 02, 2024,
Accepted Date:
October 07, 2024,
Published Date:
October 12, 2024
Crossref doi
https://doi.org/10.37547/ajps/Volume04Issue10-09
Chulieva Nilufar
Docent, PhD, National University of Uzbekistan, Faculty of Uzbek philology, Tashkent/Uzbekistan
ORCID ID
: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8229-8847
Journal
Website:
https://theusajournals.
com/index.php/ajps
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 04 Issue 10-2024
58
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
–
2771-2273)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
10
P
AGES
:
57-63
OCLC
–
1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
reflects the characteristics of real space. It can
manifest in open or closed forms, depending on its
structural boundaries [Рыбальченко Т.Л. 3:53]. In
modern works, however, space is not merely a location
for events but also a medium for expressing the
protagonist’s inner world and the author’s worldview
within the text. As Yuri Lotman states, “Artistic
space
is a model of a specific authorial world, represented
through the language of spatial images” [Лотман
Ю.М. 2:252
-253]. Additionally, closed space often
evokes an impression of a “warm,” “safe place” in
most works. However, in the context of Fyodor
Do
stoevsky, Franz Kafka, and Nazar Eshankul’s
creations
–
analyzed in this article
–
such spaces take
on symbolic and psychological meanings.
The genre that forms the core of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s
creative oeuvre is the novel. The primary artistic space
in his novel Crime and Punishment is the city of Saint
Petersburg. Events predominantly take place in the
impoverished areas of the city. Dostoevsky’s vision of
Saint Petersburg differs markedly from its portrayal in
the works of other authors (e.g., Gogol). Dos
toevsky’s
depiction of Saint Petersburg is filled with the
destitute; its streets resemble dim and narrow prison
corridors, while the city itself appears as a somber and
hostile stage, set to the tune of some melancholic and
aggressive melody. Taverns and brothels in his works
serve as spaces that illustrate both the moral and
economic decline of society. Raskolnikov’s room in the
novel can be considered a closed space where his plan
for murder is devised. He seeks refuge in this confined
space from the cramped and chaotic world of ordinary
life. Notably, after committing his crime, Raskolnikov
begins to distance himself from the external world,
becoming more alienated. This highlights the way in
which the psychological state of the character is
intricately aligned with the organization of the artistic
space. “Dostoevsky’s characters constantly feel a
sense of oppression and confinement in the spaces
assigned to them. They are always striving to escape
and
attain
freedom”
[Koshechko
Anastasia
Nikolaevna, 4: 38]. Overall, psychological time
predominates in Dostoevsky’s works, especially in his
novels. Due to the characters’ internal spiritual turmoil,
the significance of external time and space diminishes
for them. Instead, the external temporal and spatial
dimensions recede in importance compared to the
emotional conflicts within the characters (internal time
and space). Similar observations can be made about
Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”.
The transformation of the protagonist, Gregor Samsa,
into an unidentified, large insect and his quick
acceptance of this condition is a characteristic feature
of absurd literature. Gregor's metamorphosis into an
insect symbolizes his reduced value as a physical being
–
he has become a useless entity, no longer the
financial provider for his family. Initially terrified by his
transformation, his parents and sister gradually shift
Volume 04 Issue 10-2024
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences
(ISSN
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2771-2273)
VOLUME
04
ISSUE
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P
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57-63
OCLC
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1121105677
Publisher:
Oscar Publishing Services
Servi
from fear to disgust and even hatred. Gregor’s fragility
and insect-like instincts further isolate him, deepening
his loneliness. Kafka's narrative poignantly illustrates
how a person can undergo a transformation in society,
becoming a repulsive creature forgotten and discarded
even by their own family. The transformation in The
Metamorphosis unfolds as if it were an inevitable
occurrence, portrayed naturally. However, the process
itself
—
how it happened and over what period of time
–
is not explained in the text.
The events take place within the Samsa family’s home,
primarily within a single room (Gregor’s room). This
microcosmic setting evokes the impression that the
narrative’s implications extend beyond this confined
space to encompass the entire society
—
a macrocosm.
This realization, in turn, shapes the thematic breadth of
the story. The narrative unfolds in two distinct
temporal rhythms: the lifestyle within the Samsa
household progresses in a steady artistic timeframe,
despite the family’s growing financial difficulties. For
Gregor, however, time appears to have come to a
standstill. Time within his room slows down
significantly. His insect-like behaviors disrupt the flow
of artistic time because, for him, the state of
metamorphosis is a period of realization. The
depictions associated with Gregor serve to expand the
socio-psychological
scope
of
the
story,
as
autobiographical elements typical of Kafka’s
artistic
world emerge in the narrative: the harsh father, and
the protagonist’s yearning for affection and attention
from loved ones, ultimately lead to Gregor’s demise.
The artistic space in the story is represented as a closed
space. Gregor’s room was a
separate, secure place
solely for him and his thoughts. Descriptions of his
room are paradoxical: the closed space symbolizes
both sacrifice and freedom. On the one hand, the
protagonist suffers from loneliness and a lack of
understanding from others; on the other, he feels as
though he is shielded from people and relieved of
external pressures: “The depictions of the room are
paradoxical: the closed space symbolizes both
dedication and freedom. On the one hand, the
protagonist
suffers
from
loneliness
and
incomprehension; on the other
–
he feels as though he
is free from people and protected from undue
pressures”
[Татаринова,
Жигулёва,
www.gramota.net/materials/2/2016/6-3/12.html].
Kafka’s protagonist is both an outsider to society and a
figure yearning for
freedom. Gregor’s metamorphosis
is also defined by spatial characteristics. That is, he
hides under the bed like a true insect, and crawls along
the walls and ceiling of the room. This spatial boundary
symbolizes the protagonist’s social attributes:
alienation, psychological decline, and the constraints
of social relations.
Similar interpretations can be applied to the artistic
space in the short story Treatment by Uzbek writer
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Nazar Eshankul. The closed, isolated setting in
Treatment
—
a hospital
—
is built for the purpose of
"treating" patients. However, this hospital differs from
typical hospitals, as do its patients. In this hospital,
treatment is carried out through beatings: “–
Beating
has always been condemned in medicine,
–
continued
the professor.
–
But because we are doing this solely
for the health and future of the person, our treatment
is beneficial. Our latest experiments have shown that
regulating blood flow and nerve activity through
beatings could become one of the necessary factors in
curing dis
eases” [Eshankul N. 4:145]. It appears that
the hospital in the story is depicted not as a warm, safe
place for healing, but rather as a setting that crushes
the spirit through physical pain. The purpose of the
hospital is to eliminate the patients’ “free world” from
their minds by inflicting bodily torment. In reality, this
closed space symbolizes the punitive institutions
characteristic of the oppressive Soviet regime, which
targeted the “enlightened” individuals of the Uzbek
nation. The depiction and condition of the characters
reflect these notions: “The third stage is the most
difficult for the patient, as at this stage, he may lose
consciousness, but the beatings must not stop. During
this stage, the patient cries out and pleads, his beloved
‘free world’ in his mind gradually begins to
disintegrate, and our whips destroy it completely. In its
place, his entire being is filled with pain, and the
menacing whizzing of the whip echoes in his ears”
[Eshankul N. 4:148]. By illustrating the state of the
characters through the chosen setting, the author
successfully conveys his critical stance toward this
process. Through his satirical view of the events in the
story, the author tragically portrays the bleak past and
shattered dreams of a nation’s freedom
-loving citizens.
The descriptions of the enormous building, the
desolate courtyard, and the stopped clock tower not
only define the specific characteristics of the setting
but also represent the tyranny of the former regime
and the stagnation of spiritual vitality. This
environment fosters the growth of ignorance and
greed, paving the way for the proliferation of
avaricious individuals. The central theme in the
author’s story The Hand is also centered around this
issue.
The setting in The Hand is similarly confined
–
a closed
space, namely the home of Salom the Miller. The main
events in the story unfold within this household. In the
narrative, a strange hand appears in Salom the Miller’s
house. This hand, already intruding into the barely
manageable life of the miller, becomes a rival to his
livelihood. It consumes the food and bread from his
table: “The strange hand truly existed. It ate along with
them, took the broken bread, shared the meat, even
tasted the fruit, and if there was no food left on the
table, it
would disappear” [Eshankul N. 4:441]. Through
this symbolic portrayal, the author alludes to parasitic,
immoral individuals who live off others without fear,
indulging in despicable acts. The invisible thieving hand
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in the story could also be interpreted a
s the “hand” of
those who offer to help Salom the Miller rid himself of
it. This is because individuals such as Azim the
Chairman, the old fortune-teller, Keldiyor the Mullah,
and the neighborhood inspector, who all claim to assist
the miller in getting rid of the hand, end up benefiting
from his feasts and becoming as much of a burden as
the hand itself. They drain the poor man’s energy to the
fullest. At the end of the story, they turn the miller’s
house into a ruin under the guise of freeing him from
the hand. As a result, the miller, who sought help to get
rid of the hand, ends up completely devastated, even
losing his home. The neighborhood chairman,
accustomed to eating off the toil of others, presents
the miller with a tent as “aid” after the destruct
ion. The
story, in essence, critiques the deep-rooted social
problems of injustice, corruption, and greed. The
closed setting
—
the home of Salom the Miller
—
serves
as a metaphor for an entire society or even states.
Thus, when closed space is employed symbolically, it
has the capacity to expand and take on broader
connotations.
All events in Nazar Eshankul’s novella “Bars of the
Night” take place within a single house—
a room. The
protagonist’s only connection to the external world is
through the room’s window
. The chronotope in this
novella unfolds in a synthetic form. In other words, the
merging of real time and space with unreal time and
space demonstrates the synthetic nature of the
novella’s chronotope. Aside from the faint images of
Tersota village that “surface” sporadically within the
narrative or the chronotope of the rented house that
dimly reflects the personalities of the tenant mother
and daughter as an “old, inevitably decaying house,”
there is no other real space present in the narrative.
The vagueness of the locations where the protagonist
meets Sulaymon (in a garden) or where he encounters
the leader of the demons (in some basement-like
room) also suggests that the events are not taking
place in a specific, identifiable setting; these places are
not depicted as concrete, geographically precise
locations. The chronotope of the protagonist’s current
residence (the rented house) intertwines and merges
with the abstract chronotope depicted in his thoughts
and reflections.
Through a retrospective flow of time, the protagonist
revisits his past, his childhood, and the space of Tersota
village. He then returns to the present, where the time-
space becomes more concrete: “The demon appeared
in my room during just such a summer night, long
before I met Sulay
mon, during those ‘restless nights’”
[Eshankul N. 5:164]. By employing these unreal
depictions in the plot of the novella, the author
skillfully blends the time-space in which the
protagonist “lives” with the primordial time
-space (in
which figures such as Prophet Sulaymon, Antony,
Caesar, and Cleopatra existed). This vast and expansive
chronotope is masked by the primary temporal
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VOLUME
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dimension in which the events unfold
—
the night. As
expressed by the protagonist: “At night, a life unlike
any other begins for me. At night, I meet my past and
my future: they pass before my eyes, one by one, like
fading stars” [Eshankul N. 5:163].
In general, the changes in space over time; the
transformation of the protagonist’s perception of
space; and, most importantly, the unfolding of events
within the boundaries of the cosmos, open up the
spatial dimension in the poetics of the plot-fabula
structure of the literary work. The narrative field (the
plot) not only represents a “circle of events,” but also
describes the spatial environment (objective, natural,
social) that either hinders or facilitates the actions of
the characters. Thus, in analyzing the plot, it is crucial
to consider the correspondence between the location
of actions and the timing of events [Рыбальченко Т.Л.
3:57]. The night, solitude, and the closed space of the
house serve as clear reflections of the protagonist’s
psychological state. This, in turn, clarifies the
underlying theme of the story and the author’s
viewpoints.
Therefore, in Bars of the Night, two distinct
chronotopic lines are evident. The first is a real
(objective) chronotopic line that harmonizes with
another, second line
–
a chronotope that is unreal from
the perspective of the plot’s timeframe, thereby
creating a sense of generality (universal time-space).
This phenomenon is linked to the author’s “self” and
his literary ideal.
Nazar Eshankul’s short story “Free Birds” also portrays
the image of a wandering individual deprived of their
home. In the story, the home is depicted not only as a
warm, safe place
–
a “symbol of images that support or
provide the illusion of stability” [Башляр Г. 1:23]
- but
also as a cherished and revered space where values and
memories are preserved, serving as a symbol of the
homeland. In this narrative, aside from the closed
space of the home, Q. Square is also mentioned. While
the closed space conveys a sense of belonging and
defined boundaries, Q. Square symbolizes freedom,
liberation, and spiritual expansiveness.
CONCLUSION
Space in literary works generally fulfills two roles in
enriching the content: first, the environment in which
events unfold is perceived through the thoughts of the
protagonist as they analyze and synthesize the
occurrences, providing the objective meaning of the
narrative. Secondly, artistic space functions as a
psychological shell, clarifying the author’s intent with
greater precision. Nazar Eshankul’s approach to
maintaining an impartial, neutral narrative voice and
his technique of revealing the authorial worldview
indirectly
–
through the consciousness of the
protagonist
–
are evident in his selection of artistic
space. The symbolic meanings embedded in the artistic
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space add an additional layer of interpretation to the
narrative.
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