The concept ‘ape’ in English literature of the 20th century (in works by G. Chesterton, J. Galsworthy, H. Wells, A. Huxley)

The article concerns the problem of artistic representation of the concept ‘ape’ in works of the 20th-century authors. Based on the novels by G. K. Chesterton, J. Galsworthy, A. Huxley, and the story by H. Wells, it is shown that the concept ‘ape’ may appear in titles, it is used in texts as a portrait description of a character or as a universal symbol of the modern civilization. Using various semantic features of the symbolic image of the ape, the English writers provide an artistic analysis of the Western European society of the first half of the 20th century. In the novel The Man Who Was Thursday, G. K. Chesterton, based on the traditional Christian symbols, uses the concept ‘ape’ to criticize nihilistic philosophic ideas characteristic of the late 19th - early 20th centuries. In the story The Croquet Player, H. Wells asserts that the ‘ape’ nature of a human being, when manifesting itself, leads to the destruction and chaos, war and violence. The analysis of the anti-utopia Ape and Essence by A. Huxley shows that the English writer observed the crisis of Western civilization of the 20th century: suppression of reason by base instincts as well as disregard of moral and spiritual values lead to degradation of the human. The research proves that the symbolic development of the concept ‘ape’ is closely connected with the emergence and development of scientific (C. Darwin), socio-economic (K. Marks, F. Engels) and psychoanalytical (S. Freud) theories explaining the nature of a human and society and being revolutionary in their essence and impact.