The world-modeling functions of the garden topos in N. Sadur’s play Doctor of the Garden (2011)

The dramaturgy of N. Sadur belongs to the complex aesthetic system, which researchers classify as various artistic movements (absurdism, avant-gardism, magical realism, and finally, postmodernism). The article examines the play by the modern Russian playwright N. Sadur “Doctor of the Garden” (2011), in which the description of the space of consciousness of the characters comes to the fore. The play, which practically does not fall into the field of view of researchers, is an interesting example of the realization of the artistic possibilities of the category of space. It is indicated that in comparison with early works, the category of space in later plays becomes more significant. The article analyzes the world-modeling possibilities of the garden topos in N. Sadur’s play “Doctor of the Garden”. The article states that the image of the garden in the play is multi-layered and is realized at different levels: cultural-symbolic, real, social, natural-biological, at the level of the characters’ consciousness space. The play is read from two points of view: as a realistic one, with a socio-psychological conflict, and as a neo-modernist one, with a conflict in the consciousness of the characters: they experience an internal conflict associated with the awareness of themselves and each other. Based on the analysis of the spatial structure of the play, it is concluded that the garden, which is both a character, a real space in which the action takes place, and a symbolic cultural topos, is a world-modeling tool for the author.

modern dramaturgy, works by N. Sadur, topos of the garden, space of the game