The phenomenon of subtext in literary works

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of subtext - a significant concept in literary theory and hermeneutics. The implicit methods of expressing the deep, associative-symbolic meaning of a work, not presented verbally in the text, are analyzed; a comprehensive approach to the interpretation of texts from the point of view of their implicit meanings is demonstrated. This determines the relevance and novelty of the work. In particular, the “intentions” that are consciously or involuntarily introduced by authors into works in the form of reminiscences, omissions, hints are examined. They are studied as part of a single meaning-forming field, the perception of which requires increased intellectual effort and speculation. Thus, the reminiscence in the title of G. Sluzhitel’s story “The Seagull” refers to the play of the same name by A. Chekhov and allows us to understand the fundamental dissimilarity in the interpretation of the key image of the seagull in the two works. In Chekhov’s play, the seagull is a dramatic symbol of ruined beauty, a failed life. In G. Sluzhitel’s story, the image of the seagull is full of hidden irony. The actress of the Moscow Art Theatre Olga Leonardovna Knipper-Chekhova has little in common with Nina Zarechnaya: she knows neither personal suffering nor the torments of creativity. Reminiscences from Chekhov’s stories “The Grasshopper” and “Ionych” further enhance the ironic coloring of the image of the actress living in the shadow of the glory of the great writer and husband. Silence becomes the basis of the narrative in A. Green’s story “The Talkative Brownie”. The atmosphere of understatement allows us to think out the implicit: the mystery of human relationships is more mysterious than any mysticism. The analysis of the stories proves the fruitfulness of the interpretation of the multi-level semantics of the text: explicit and implicit.