SYMBOLISM OF THE PLANT WORLD IN THE FANTASY NOVEL OF SCARLETT ST. CLAIR “A TOUCH OF DARKNESS”

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to investigate the artistic parameters of the symbolism of the plant world in the fantasy novel “A Touch of Darkness” by contemporary American writer Scarlett St. Clair. The research methods are structured as a complex that includes elements of analysis and synthesis (for reviewing sources on the researched problem), the comparative-typological method (for establishing similarities and differences in the representation of the myth of Demeter and Persephone in literary works), the hermeneutic method (for interpreting the text of the novel and further analyzing its individual elements), anthropological analysis (for tracing and systematizing the life experience of the characters represented in the work), as well as ecocritical approach (for highlighting the ecological consciousness of the characters and their ecocentric values). Results. The research analyzes the symbolism of the plant world in S. St. Clair's fantasy novel “A Touch of Darkness.” It has been established that the writer takes the invariant of the ancient Greek myth about Demeter and Persephone as a basis and modifies its components to highlight contemporary problems. In the novel the writer emphasizes the image of Persephone rather than Demeter; she uses the myth not to explain the change of seasons, but primarily for the representation of the hybrid identity of a young person who is at once the goddess of spring and the chosen one of Hades as the future queen of the Underworld. An important means of depicting Persephone's hybridity is the images of the plant world, which by their very nature exist in earthly and underground spaces at the same time. It has been established that among the floristic images of the work, the most significant are the narcissus and the flower garden. In the consciousness of the main heroine, the narcissus manifests the appearance of Hades, marks the environment of his existence, and serves as his symbol. The flower garden that Persephone attempts to grow in the Underworld is a reflection of all stages of her liberation from any external guardianship and the affirmation of her own identity. Conclusions. Thus, in S. St. Clair’s “A Touch of Darkness”, the framework of the fantasy novel is employed as a safe environment for representing important contemporary philosophical, gender, and ecological issues. The fictional world serves as a convenient space for the reinterpretation of invariant and the actualization of variable motifs of the myth of Demeter and Persephone. In the depiction of the plant world of the novel, both strategies are combined; for instance, the invariant image of the narcissus acquires variable connotations associated with the ethical responsibility of characters and the influence of social factors.