Discussion

The aim of the paper is to analyse the stylistics of horror in Nikolai Gogol’s early Ukrainian stories. Intertwining supernatural folklore elements with the everyday fears of beloved rural settings, Gogol immensely contributed to shaping the foundations of Russian horror. While the existence of horror may depend on various elements, such as the libido, emotions, or even the role of human knowledge, the contents and effects of horror in literature are primarily shaped by the usage of language. Working within the framework of cognitive linguistics, which allows for a multifaceted understanding of language in fiction as a textual, cognitive, and communicative phenomenon, we argue that the horror in Gogol’s stories arises from the specific ways the author uses language. Some of the stories analysed are Viy, St John’s Eve and A Terrible Vengeance.