Borrowed clothing categories in the novel "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Abstract. This article will discuss foreign language clothing categories and their functions in the novel "The Idiot" by F. M. Dostoevsky. For a more detailed consideration of the borrowed vocabulary, dictionaries were used.

Аннотация. В данной статье будут рассмотрены иноязычные номинации одежды и их функции в романе Ф. М. Достоевского «Идиот». Для более детального рассмотрения заимствованной лексики были использованы словари.

Keywords: semantic group, detail, clothing terms, foreign word, F. M. Dostoevsky.

Ключевые слова: семантическая группа, деталь, термины одежды, иностранное слово, Ф. М. Достоевский.

Fyodor Dostoevsky is a great Russian realist writer and psychologist, and his work is a mystery that many researchers have been trying to solve for several centuries. Of particular interest to scientists is the «great Pentateuch», which consists of five of the most significant works of the writer: "Crime and Punishment" (1866), "Idiot" (1868), "Demons" (1871-1872), "Teenager" (1875),"Brothers Karamazov" (1879-1880).

In this article, we will turn to the novel "The Idiot", which was written in the period from September 14, 1867 to January 29, 1869 abroad and was published in the magazine "Russian Bulletin" for 1868.

F. M. Dostoevsky is able to penetrate into the very depths of the mental state of his characters, which allows him to give a clear idea of the personality of each of them. But along with the description of emotions, an important role in revealing the characters characters is played by such elements as a portrait, everyday life, clothing categories, etc. In this article, we are particularly interested in the latter group, since each person's wardrobe is unique and is a bright means of self-expression. By continuous sampling, we identified the tokens that denote clothing or any of its elements. Of particular interest to us are the names of foreign-language clothing, as they allow us to trace the development of the language. The article presents the most striking and common of them.

At the beginning of the novel, we meet Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin, who is returning from Switzerland to Russia after treating his illness. The author shows him dressed in all non-Russian clothes and completely unprepared for the weather conditions of this country. F. M. Dostoevsky makes it clear from the very beginning that Prince Myshkin is a stranger here and this motif will develop throughout the novel.

"He was wearing a rather wide and thick coat without sleeves and with a huge hood, just like the ones often used on the road, in winter, somewhere far abroad, in Switzerland, or, for example, in Northern Italy... On his feet were thick-soled shoes with shoes – everything is not Russian".

Hood-borrowed by the Russian language in the second third of the XVIII century. from the French. This word is used in the Russian language to this day, in the text it is used 2 times.

Shoes (German) – at the end of the 18th century. in Russia, the name of cloth, lined boots with hooks or buttons. This word is obsolete and is no longer used in modern speech. In the text, it occurs 10 times and is used only in the address of Prince Myshkin, is used with a negative assessment in this text, for example, in the conversations of the main character with Rogozhin or in an article by Keller, which was intended to expose the prince in an unfavorable light and force him to recognize the existence of the "son of Pavlishchev".

Next, the writer tells us about Parfen Semyonovich Rogozhin and his acquaintance with Nastasya Filippovna Barashkova. In this description, appearance plays a big role.

"I was then, Prince, in my father's third-year-old bekesha, running across the Nevsky, and she came out of the shop and got into the carriage. So I got burned out here. I meet Zalezhev, who is not a match for me, walks like a barber's clerk, and has a lorgnette in his eye, but we were different from our parents in greased boots and lenten cabbage soup".

Bekesha (Hungarian) – upper men's clothing, in the waist, with collections and a slit in the back, the front was finished with cords. It became fashionable in the 50s of the 19th century. The word is currently outdated, it is used 1 time in the text.

Lorgnette (French) – an aristocratic version of glasses with a handle, worn on a chain or on a string. The word is outdated and is currently out of active use, it occurs 3 times in the text.

This passage shows the direct opposition of the aristocratic stratum to the merchant stratum. Rogozhin, for lack of money, is wearing his father's bekesh, he is dressed like an ordinary Russian peasant and he is embarrassed in front of Nastasya Filippovna for his appearance.

"I'm short of stature, and dressed like a flunky and I stand, silent, on her eyes pyalyat, because ashamed, and he's all over fashion, lipstick, and curled, rosy-cheeked, halstuch of cellular and crumbles and scrapes, and even perhaps it is here instead I've been accepted!"

Tie (it. Halstuch letters. "neckerchief") - a tie in the form of a strip of fabric is still included in the wardrobe of a man, and is represented by headscarf, was in fashion in the 30s of the 19th century. This word in the text is used in a different form (tie), which conveys the sound of the last vowel of the German word.

In the context of our study, it is interesting to note how the characters personalities are contrasted in relation to clothing. Rogozhin wants to make the prince "his own" and rid him of foreign and alien elements (shoes, a cloak), as he was able to win the trust and sympathy of a man. It is necessary to pay attention to the word shtibletishki, which received a negative connotation in this context and emphasizes Rogozhin's unsatisfactory attitude to the appearance of the prince. 

"Come to me, Prince. We these stabilisce-then you shoot will put you in qunu in the first coat; coat you will sew first, vest white, Ali whatever you want, money pockets full and will stuff... go to the Nastasya Filippovna!"

Vest (FR.) – in the 18th century vests appeared in Russia, and by the 30-th years of the 19th century they were no longer considered a foreign fashion. This word is currently used and occurs 6 times in the text.

Tailcoat (English, French) – an English cloth coat with cut-out floors in front and narrow long tails in the back. This word is outdated and is not used in modern speech, it is used quite often in the text – 11 times.

Special attention should be paid to the description of the appearance of Ivolgin Ardalion Alexandrovich.

"He was dressed in an old frock coat, almost with the elbows torn through; the linen was also greasy – - in a homely way".

Surtout (French surtout) - men's double-breasted clothing with long floors almost to the knees, in the waist, usually with a turn-down collar. The word is currently out of active use, it occurs frequently in the text – 18 times.

The author depicts General Ivolgin casually dressed and, further emphasizing his slovenliness, uses the form of the word "frock coat" with an ironic connotation. After Ivolgin was refused admission by many secular houses, the character's clothes became worn out and came to an unsightly appearance like its owner, General Ivolgin.

The transformation of Ardalion Alexandrovich to the arrival of Nastasya Filippovna is remarkable.

"He was in a tailcoat and a clean shirt-front; his moustache was waxed…"

A shirt front (French: plastron de manège) is a removable or sewn chest insert on a man's shirt or a woman's dress. The word active in the modern language is not used, it occurs 1 time in the text.

On the day of his arrival, Prince Myshkin goes to the reception to Nastasya Filippovna, without changing his wardrobe for lack of money and any things with him, since he arrived only with a bundle.

"Neither his muddy boots, nor his wide-brimmed hat, nor his sleeveless cloak, nor his embarrassed appearance made the slightest hesitation in her".

The hat is a loan. in the XVI century. from cf. - c. - German., in which slappe "a kind of soft hat". The word is used at the moment, in the text it occurs most often among the rest of the borrowed vocabulary-24 times.

This passage shows that Nastasya Filippovna's servants were used to seeing a motley group of people, often unsuitable for their mistress's social status, so the appearance of the prince did not confuse the servant.

F. M. Dostoevsky actively includes borrowed vocabulary in his novel. The most common words in the text are those from French, followed by those of German origin, and then words from other languages. The leading position of the French names emphasizes the tendency to gallomania characteristic of the 19th century, which is manifested both in the speech of the characters and in their clothing. In addition, such a detailed description of the wardrobe of each character helps us not only to determine his social status in society, but also contributes to the disclosure of the character's personality, shows its transformation throughout the novel.