COMPOSITION AND ARCHITECTONICS OF A WORK OF FICTION AS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE AUTHOR’S STYLE. J. CHAUCER «THE CANTERBURY TALES»
Authors: Romanets V. M. , Podkovyroff N. T. 
Published: October 2023

The study presented here examines the problems of composition and architectonics of a work of fiction. The author analyses the correlation of these notions. A close examination of the types of compositional organization of a work of fiction has been carried out. It is noted that the problem of the composition of a work of fiction has a fairly long tradition. At the time, the problem was considered by Aristotle (4th century BC), who focused on the fact that the perfection of a work could be achieved by motivated selection and combination of separate elements into a single whole, which forms complete harmony. A study has been made of the theoretical aspects of the notion of «composition», as well as a demarcation with similar values such as «structure» and «architectonics», and a description of compositional techniques that clarify the functions of composition in a work of fiction. The article discusses the features of the composition and architectonics of «Canterbury Tales», a work by Geoffrey Chaucer, which was written at the end of the 14th century in Middle English, but remained unfinished. Chaucer’s literary skill is manifested in the fact that the stories reflect the individual traits and individual manner of narrating of the characters. The author depicts a wide canvas of English reality of his contemporary era. The book consists of a «Prologue», 22 verse and two prose stories, which are interconnected by interludes. The framing story reports on the development of the action. Borrowing the themes from numerous stories by other authors, Chaucer complicates the plot, saturates it with realistic details. At the same time, he connects the dynamics of action with psychological analysis. It is emphasized that the composition of a work of fiction is structured from the following main elements: plot — a series of events that are depicted in the work of fiction; conflict is a clash of characters and circumstances, views and principles of being, which are the basis of action. The conflict may arise between the individual and society or between characters. And in the mind of the hero, it can be explicit, hidden or imaginary. Plot elements reflect the stages of development of the conflict; prologue — a kind of introduction to the work, which tells about the events of the past and it emotionally sets the reader to perceive the work; exposition — an introduction to the main action, an description of the conditions and circumstances that preceded the beginning of the action (it can be expanded, non-deployed, integral and «torn», located at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the work); familiarization with the characters of the work, the circumstances and chronology against which the action takes place; starting point of the plot — the beginning of the plot movement (the event from which the conflict begins, further events develop); development of action — a system of events that are the result of the starting point of the plot; the conflict escalates, and contradictions appear more clearly and sharply; climax — the moment of the highest tension of the action, the peak of the conflict — after the climax, the action weakens; denouement — the resolution of the main conflict, or an indication of possible ways to resolve it. This is the final moment of the action of the work of fiction. At this stage of the composition, either the resolution of the conflict is demonstrated or the impossibility of its resolution is shown; epilogue — the final part of the work of fiction, which indicates the direction of further development of events and the fate of the characters. A short message about what happened to the acting characters of the work of fiction after the end of the main storyline. The study considers plot options: the plot can be presented in a direct sequence of events with digressions into the past — retrospectives. In addition, the plot may depict «excursions» into the future or deliberately show an altered sequence of events. Non-plot elements are: inserted episodes, author’s digressions. Therefore, it should be noted that the main function of the plot is to expand the scope of the depicted events and, thus, to reflect the position of the author in relation to various phenomena of life. The work of fiction may lack individual elements of the plot, and sometimes there are several storylines. Architectonic techniques used by the author create a special unique author’s style. And it is the author himself who chooses the main compositional elements. Thus, the composition of a work of fiction can be multifaceted, linear, circular, «a thread with beads». Masterful architectonics is not just the unity of the constituent parts of a work, it is the originality of a particular work, its beauty and uniqueness. It has been determined that the most important property of the composition of this work of Chaucer is its logical sequence. It is with the help of the composition that one can determine that in the «Canterbury Tales» the center of events is the journey of the pilgrims to the holy place. Architectonics is consequently the relationship between the parts of the work. For example, the prologue and epilogue are traditionally small, the prologue being located at the beginning and the epilogue at the end of the work. And the larger elements are located between the prologue and the epilogue. Thus, the architectonics of the elements of the work is logically consistent with each other. In the «Canterbury Tales», the event type of composition has a chronological form. There is a time distance between separate events, but there is no violation of the natural chronology.