Russian National Concept of “Longing” in the Epic Novel by M. Sholokhov “And Quiet Flows The Don”

Aim. To analyze the ways of artistic representation of the Russian national concept of "longing" in the epic novel by Mikhail Sholokhov “Tikhiy Don” (“And Quiet Flows the Don”).Methodology. The key method in the study was the conceptual-cultural approach. With its help, the analysis of the national-specific image of the world in the epic novel by Mikhail Sholokhov “And Quiet Flows the Don” was carried out, the most important dominant of the author’s consciousness – the Russian concept of “longing” – was determined. The historical-literary, structural-poetic, poetic-typological methods of analysis were also used.Results. In Sholokhov’s novel “And Quiet Flows the Don”, the Russian concept of “longing” is the most important dominant of the author’s consciousness and reflects mainly national perception of this emotional experience. It forms an extensive axiological and figurative-motivational field in which numerous meanings of the constant are realized. The bearers of longing in the novel are mainly female characters and Grigory Melekhov.Research implications. The theoretical significance lies in clarifying the mechanisms of artistic representation of the Russian concept of “longing” using the example of a large-scale genre formation - the epic novel.