THE IMAGE OF PETERSBURG IN THE WORKS OF N.V. GOGOL: TYPOLOGY, FUNCTIONS AND SYMBOLISM

The article examines the artistic representation of St. Petersburg in N.V. Gogol's "Petersburg Tales." It analyzes the complex and multi-layered image of the city as a spatial and sociocultural phenomenon. The key functions of Petersburg in the structure of Gogol's text are identified: social, symbolic, and mythopoetic. The role of the city in shaping the inner world of the characters and the author's philosophy is revealed. The conclusion is made that Petersburg in Gogol's work becomes a metaphor for the crisis of personality, bureaucratic alienation, and the absurdity of existence.