Ethnic images of the peoples of Siberia in the novel ‘Tobol' by A. Ivanov

Siberia is one of those multifaceted and heterogeneous regions the idea of which can differ significantly in the minds of individuals and different generations. In this connection, the study of the images of Siberia represented through texts of various types of discourse appears to be of particular relevance. In the present article, ethnic images of the peoples of Siberia are examined through the example of ethnonyms functioning in the text of the novel Tobol written by Alexei Ivanov. The article aims to substantiate the relevance of studying individual components of the image of Siberia in different types of discourse, to describe the ethnic fragment of this image by the example of literary text. The source material for the study is a two-part historical novel by A. Ivanov, published in 2017-2018 and narrating about the events of the era of Peter the Great. The main research method used was discursive analysis. As a result, the functioning of ethnonyms in the texts of historical prose was described, which not only reflects ethnic stereotypes of the linguistic worldview but also helps to recreate ethnic images of the peoples of Siberia in historical retrospect. It is emphasized that functioning of ethnonyms reflects the ethnic fragment of the image of Siberia represented in literary discourse. It is concluded that literary texts are an indispensable source not only for describing the image of Siberia but also for constructing this image in the minds of the inhabitants of Russia. Therefore, the prospects of research are obviously connected with the analysis of texts belonging to other types of discourse and consideration of other aspects of the images in question.