Perfect verb forms as a means of cohesion in Russian and Italian literary texts

The article analyzes the functioning of verb forms with perfect semantics in literary texts written in Russian and Italian (in a comparative aspect). The material for the study included the theatrical monologue by Alessandro Baricco Novocento and its translation into the Russian language by Natalia Oreshina, as well as works by contemporary Russian writers (L. Ulitskaya, V. Pelevin, etc.). The focus is on the compositional functions of word forms with perfect meaning (the influence of these word forms on the linear unfolding of the text), based on the semantic duality of the perfect. Due to this property, word forms with perfect meaning can perform a variety of binding functions in a text, namely: act as a means of cohesion in the linear unfolding of the text; perform plot functions, i.e. provide regression, progress, stop the narration, etc.; play an important role in the orientation of the events described in relation to the deictic center (real or imaginary), and others. According to the researcher, perfect word forms have a great potential in terms of implementing various text categories. The key idea of the article is to highlight special, text-forming functions of the perfect form (both in Russian and Italian). Since the property of the perfect to influence the linearity of perception of a text and to link text fragments is based on the nature of the perfect semantics, this type of function is characteristic not only of Russian verbs in the perfect sense, but also of the perfect form in other languages, that is, it is a kind of language frequentalia. The paper identifies the conditions and criteria that contribute to the implementation of these functions in Russian and Italian, in particular, the syncretic nature of the perfect semantics, the position of the considered word forms in the paragraph, as well as their interaction with other elements of context.