Abilova Firuza Abutalibovna – Candidate in Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Literature of Dagestan State University; ORCID: 0000–0001–6920–5547
Daphne du Maurier is a British writer who actively uses techniques typical of Gothic prose in her work. In accordance with them, the short-story Don’t Look Now was created, the study of which this article is devoted to. The analysis of the novel reveals adherence to Gothic aesthetics, understood as the depiction of the mysterious, the atmosphere of fear and horror, the psychological state of a person who finds himself in a situation of mysterious uncertainty. Suggestiveness, retardation, suspense are the key elements of storytelling technique. It is shown how the key motifs of the Gothic canon are realized, rethought and transformed – space, the concept of time, the ways of creating suggestion. The Gothic topos is created by the architecture and canals of Venice, forming the image of a gloomy labyrinth; the nonlinear movement of time enhances the significance of this image; the traditional system of images is subject to changes. The novel contains experiences of different intensity and quality – from excitement to horror, which correspond to the narrative technique – from psychological thriller to suspense, from terror to horror.
Gothic canon; suggestiveness; fear; horror; Venice; labyrinth