Authors
Dmitry Mazalevsky1; 1 University of Debrecen, Hungary Discussion
Numerous novels in Russian literature have long attempted to express the "mysterious Russian soul" from philosophical and historical perspectives, but never before has there been an attempt to portray the type of Russian thinking using the form of a novel itself. The first such endeavour can be considered The Endless Deadend by Dmitry Galkovsky. In his work, Galkovsky characterises Russian thinking as convulsive and intermittent. The fragmentation of Russian thinking is expressed at the level of the novel's structure: The Endless Deadend consists of 949 notes to the source text, which further contains extensive commentary on Russian culture, constantly oscillating from the narrator's philosophical views to the memories of his childhood. Each of the notes that Gérard Genette has categorised as paratexts refers to another note, forming an interconnected system. Thus, a nonlinear hypertext is created, which at the level of form, and even syntax, becomes an illustration of discontinuous Russian thinking. Therefore, the only way of its representation is the abandonment of linear text in favour of constant switching from one note to another. Oliver Ready argues that this oscillation is determined also by the antinomial quality of Russian thought which makes Galkovsky constantly correct himself. Building on the writings of G. Genette, E. Maloney, and O. Ready, this paper explores how Galkovsky, using paratexts, depicts a model of Russian thinking in his novel. 
