Memory and Oblivion in Andrey Platonov’s Story "The Pit" ("Kotlovan")

Abstract

The article deals with the semantics of memory and oblivion, expressed in verbs: to remember, to forget. Memory involves only the individual nature of the process. If the subject is expressed in the plural form, it presupposes the presence of the same individuals in a situation imprinted on the memory. The article analyzes the processes of memorization and oblivion, as reflected in Andrey Platonov’s story Pit (Kotlovan). On the material of the Russian National Corpus, the frequency of verbs to remember, to forget and the nature of constructions with them is revealed: to remember is used 31 times, 6 — with negation, to recall — 34 times, noun memory — 12 times; to forget — 31 times, 4 of them with negation, the noun oblivion — twice. Platonov shows that the formation of a new subject — the mass, requires deindividualization, which is expressed in the rejection of memory, which preserves precisely the individual experience of a person and his intellect.