Самый близкий – самый далекий: локальные стереотипы в рассказе Грабеж Н. С. Лескова

Abstract

This article aims to explore the ways in which stereotypes related to the citizens of two nearby cities function in the short story Robbery by N. S. Leskov. Stereotypes result from the basic cognitive ability of a man - the perception of the world in opposition own/alien. The characters living in the city of Elets demonstrate their superiority over the citizens of Orel, and they also seem to ridicule the Orel people which may as well result from their jealousy over the higher prestige of the other city. The intensely negative value of the category of alien leads to the situation in which, for one of the characters the local identity becomes more important than family ties. As a result of a series of unfortunate events, it turns out that stereotypes are untrue, and simultaneously the anthropological truth that all the people are equal is emphasized by the author.