Carousel as a linguistic and cultural symbol

The paper deals with symbolic characteristics of the concept “carousel”. The main directions of its symbolization may be defined as recurrent uncontrollable circular movement, as escape from reality, as vanity, as pleasures which must be measured, as an illustration of absurdity in life. Understanding of carousel in publicistic and poetic views is to a certain extent different, it is either a critical attitude to chaotic incongruity of events or a tragic perception of disagreement between the seeming and present reality, but at the same time it includes a childish perception of carousel as wonder and a festival of life.