Ways of expressing comparative semantics in the artistic works of V. Pelevin

The subject of this study is the methods and linguistic means of expressing comparative semantics. The object of the study is the language of V. Pelevin's artistic prose. The aim of the research is to identify the ways of expressing comparative semantics and to determine the specifics of their usage in Pelevin's prose. The author examines in detail the means of expressing the semantics of comparison that correspond to the lexical, morphological, word-formation, and syntactic levels of language. Special attention is given to lexical units with comparative semantics, prepositional-case combinations, and forms of the instrumental, genitive, and accusative cases, productive word-formation methods, stable combinations and expressions with the semantics of comparison, as well as syntactic means of expressing comparative meaning at the levels of simple and complex sentences. The material for the study consists of the artistic prose works of V. Pelevin, covering the period from 2015 to 2024. We employed methods of analysis, thematic classification and systematization of linguistic material, contextual analysis, and descriptive-analytical methods. The methodological basis of the work includes the works of V. V. Vinogradov, V. P. Vompersky, M. N. Krylova, A. E. Shevchenko, A. V. Tregubchak, and E. V. Pashkova, dedicated to the study of comparison, methods, and means of its expression. As a result of the study, the methods and multi-level means of expressing comparative semantics have been identified, and the specifics of their usage in Pelevin's prose have been determined. It has been established that comparative meaning is realized at the lexical, morphological, word-formation, and syntactic levels. The linguistic means corresponding to each of the specified levels have been identified and described in detail. The main conclusions of the research indicate that comparison in Pelevin's prose is expressed in various ways and means, reflects the perception of reality, and represents the author's worldview in the text, highlighting his creative individuality. The specifics of using linguistic units with the semantics of comparison lie in the choice of structural components of comparison, their semantic content, and contextual usage in accordance with the author's objectives for constructing the text and meaning. The scientific novelty of this study consists in the comprehensive examination and description of the methods and linguistic means of expressing comparative semantics as one of the most prominent features of the language of V. Pelevin's literary works.