ONYMIC SPACE OF ERICH MARIA REMARQUE’S ANTI-WAR NOVEL “ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT”

Abstract

The article reveals the specificity of the onymic space of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel “Im Westen nichts Neues” (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) and characterises proper names as significant elements of the imagery of the artistic text and elements of the individual-author’s picture of the world. Disclosure of semantic and stylistic specificity of proper names, identification of the functional load of poetonyms of different classes, dominant anthoponymic formulas, etc. contributes to the artistic interpretation of “Im Westen nichts Neues” as an anti-war novel.
Poetonyms, an important means of forming and decoding artistic meanings, reproduce the author’s worldview, comprehending his cultural-philosophical and life priorities and goals. Proper names play an important role in the implementation of the author’s idea, presentation of philosophical and moral and ethical generalisations of the writer.
It is established that the onymic space of the analysed work is formed of different fields – anthroponymic, toponymic, pragmatonymic, artionymic and ergonymic. It is proved that the leading place in the onymic space of the fiction text is occupied by anthroponyms correlating with real objects of the cultural context (names of real historical figures) or fictionalised by the author to designate acting/mentioned persons. The peripheral and peripheral field is formed by toponyms, pragmatonyms, ecclesionyms, ergonyms, ideonyms, which are intended to localise the place of the plot action, to define the range of interests and awareness of the character awareness of the characters, etc.
The external and internal essence of the main characters is portrayed in three temporal plans: past (pre-war times) – present (plot development) – future (plans and expectations of the characters after the war). The stay of the main characters in different temporal spaces causes the development of the plot (plot-forming function) and indicates the evolution of the image (image-forming role of anthroponyms). The significance of poetonyms as markers of genre originality of the work, the author of which is oriented on the image of spiritual nature of man in the period of social cataclysms, military actions, destruction of ideals and loss of national-cultural roots is revealed.