Article: PDF
DOI: 10.26710/fk16-02-12
Abstract: The article analyses the problematics of the novella by O. Slavnikova «Immortal». On the example of a typical Russian family surviving during the Post-Soviet time at the expense of the ‘consumption’ of the pension of a paralysed World War II veteran, the morals of a person in a consumer society is shown. The person submits to the pragmatics of existence (to get well-being, prosperity, and social status), an ordinary person gets in the power of illusions, loses the existential purpose of life and ethical reference points. The desire to survive, to get a place under the sun provokes the immoral consumption covered with imaginary good intentions. The appropriated right to consume and to exploit another person for one’s own purposes gives rise to illusion of one’s own importance. But in reality in the consumer society all become victims because all mutually parasitize on each other. In this circumstances the actual human is not a hero (in usual sense of social realistic paradigm), but a character who does not want to stay in the imaginary life and who wants to self-willingly get out of unreal existence.
Key words: MODERN RUSSIAN LITERATURE, SLAVNIKOVA, REALITY, CONSCIOUSNESS, ILLUSION, RUSSIA, CONSUMPTION

For citation

Poleva, E. A. A Person of Illusion and a Person of Reality in the Consumer Society: About the Problematics of the Novella by O.A. Slavnikova «Immortal» [Bessmertniy] / E. A. Poleva. In Philological Class. 2016. №2 (44). P. 65-69. DOI 10.26710/fk16-02-12 .