DIACHRONY OF RETENTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE NARRATIVE OF THE «TEXT ABOUT THE PAST» BY P. RICKER AND M. PROUST’S «IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME»
Authors:   Odesa National Medical University, Chuikova Olena 
Published: November 2024

Subject of Study. The subject of our research is the diachrony (modification) of retentional consciousness through the prism of a «text about the past» on the example of the novel «The coast of Guermantes» of the series «In Search of Lost Time» by M. Proust. The original reproduction of diachronic retention processes and their adequate description is possible thanks to the concept-metaphors of «stream of consciousness», «temporal flow» and thanks to the concepts-structures of «other», synchrony, diachrony, self, «operational time» and others, which are produced by linguistic structuralism, phenomenology. The antithesis is the concept of P. Ricker’s narrative text, considering the autobiography as a «text about the past» and the narrative-time, narrative-identity. Purpose. Our goal is to investigate the problem of diachrony of retentive consciousness using the example of a «text about the past», example of a «text about the past», examples of which we consider the series «In Search of Lost Time» by M. Proust (novel «The coast of Guermantes») and P. Ricker’s work «Intellectual Autobiography». We are looking for philosophical-linguistic-structural possibilities to recognize the present self in the past self as a new self, as a different self, and at the same time to describe all this as a reconstruction of the past social life of a certain class stratum and oneself together with all others. Turning to P. Ricker’s «text about the past» raised the problem of the narrative not only of the text, but also of subjectivity, which becomes «identity», and the narrative of time. However, we analyze precisely the «text about the past», in which the concept-metaphors of «stream of consciousness» and temporal stream of consciousness are revealed on the actual phenomenal material. The main thing is that in the text we see artistically implemented diachronic processes of retentional consciousness, or retentional modification of the author-narrator’s consciousness thanks to concepts-structures. Concepts-structures of «other», retention, self, diachrony, synchrony, «operational time» are in the locus of research, because they realize the authentically metaphysical «transcendental Ego» in the diachronic layer of retentional consciousness. However, we also find the concept of self, oneself as other, other as consciousness) in P. Ricker and M. Proust. However, we also find the concept of self, oneself as other, other as conscience (moral consciousness) in P. Ricker and M. Proust. As a result, we have to prove that diachrony or retention modification is a valid way of reconstructing the self-other in the mirror temporal corridor of one’s own subjectivities. Method. We applied the methods of phenomenological, hermeneutic, structural semiotics, reference, linguistic structuralism, methods of literary tropes, which in a philosophical text become concepts-metaphors and also concepts-structures as combined means of structural linguistic and philosophy. Conclusion. We investigated the problem of diachrony of retentive consciousness using the example of the «text about the past», an example of which we consider the novel «The coast of Guermantes» of the series «In Search of Lost Time» by M. Proust and P. Ricker’s work «Intellectual Autobiography». We found philosophical-linguistic-structural possibilities to recognize the present self in the past self as a new self, as a different self, and at the same time to describe all this as a reconstruction of the past social life of a certain class stratum and oneself together with all others. Mechanisms for describing the diachrony of retentive consciousness and self-other in the past are concepts-metaphors and concepts-structures – these are «flow of consciousness», temporal flow, other, self, synchrony, diachrony, «operational time». We believe that diachrony or retention modification is a valid way of reconstructing the self-other in the mirror temporal corridor of one’s own subjectivities. This is evidenced by «texts about the past» as the embodiment of «stream of consciousness», temporal flow through the structures of diachrony, «other», subjectivity, retention modification of M. Proust. Concepts-structures of «other», retention, self, diachrony, synchrony, «operational time» are in the locus of research, because they realize the authentically metaphysical «transcendental Ego» in the diachronic layer of retentional consciousness. We consider P. Ricker’s narrative concept of narrative-time, narrative narrative-identity, narrative-text to be too hyperreal, with the exception of the concept of «other» as «moral consciousness», that is, conscience, which is also present in «text about the past» by M. Proust.