Abnormal Behavior in the Contemporary Literary Language (Based on Millennial Prose)

Abstract

This study considers words used to describe human actions in the prose of Russian millennial writers, who emerged as a separate generation due to the Pushkin Prize, an annual Russian literary award established to honor young writers for literary excellence. These writers have only recently come into the focus of research, thus making it timely and relevant to explore their works and activities. The results obtained show that investigating contemporary literary texts is essential for understanding how both people and culture have changed in the new millennium: human beings are shaped by the actions they take, and their capacity for action is determined by self-reflection, responsibility, and the pursuit of accepted social values. Among all the identified human actions, those with the highest communicative value in the millennial prose were singled out, and the common verbal means used to express them were analyzed. From the analysis, the most pressing ethical issues and the weakest spots of social morality in our times continuously addressed by millennial writers were distinguished.