Mono-Play “Lyoha...” by Yulia Pospelova: On the Question of the Specificity of the Title in Current Dramaturgy

The article examines the title of Yulia Pospelova’s monoplay “LYOHA...”. The unique role of the title in the dramatic genre of literature is declared, which is associated with the focus of the drama on stage embodiment and with the structure of the dramatic text. It is shown how the text of the play destroys the seemingly obvious expectation formed by the system of title and subtitle - the one whose name is included in the title of Pospelova’s play is neither the speaker in it nor the main character, acting as a character both off-stage and secondary in relation to others off-stage characters in the play. And the title is given graphically in a very non-trivial way - in quotation marks and with an ellipsis at the end, that is, as a quoted replica. All cases of lexical explication of the title into the text of the play are considered, on the basis of which a completely special semantics of this title in projection onto the text is revealed: the title, taking into account its textual manifestations, is understood as a result as someone else’s word belonging to the character, as a quotation. As a result, the word included in the title of Pospelova’s monoplay actually loses its usual anthroponymic function, turning into a word that most relevantly conveys the state of the characters and their experiences; the title “LYOHA...”, while retaining its function as a condensed text, acquired meanings much deeper than could be expected based on its anthroponymic essence. Thus, in relation to the text under consideration, disappointed expectation acted as a technique. As a result, a conclusion is made about the unique specificity of the title in modern drama, where the destruction of reader and spectator expectations turns out to be constructive destruction, forming completely special meanings.