Defamiliarization and its functions in novels "The republic of wine" by Mo Yan and "Never let me go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

The article examines the functions of the device of defamiliarization in the novels of two Nobel Prize winners: “Wine Country” by Mo Yan and “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the comparative analysis of the works of two writers belonging to different national literatures, from a special angle: through the prism of using the technique of defamiliarization. The works of the Chinese author and the British writer of Japanese origin touch upon universal human problems associated with the dehumanization of society in the process of continuous scientific and technological progress. Humanist writers question the pattern of experiments in which a person turns into an elementary means to achieve the goals of society. The technique of defamiliarization allows us to see that the fate of the younger generation often depends on serious social and political issues that enable the system and the authorities to use the new generation as a means of survival for the older generation.