TERM «ALTERNATIVE» IN MODERN RUSSIAN PROSE (ON THE MATERIAL OF NOVELS «LAVR» AND «AVIATOR» BY EVGENY VODOLAZKIN AND «ZULEIKHA OPENS HER EYES» BY GUZEL YAKHINA)

In this very article the concepts of alternative and alternative history are researched within modern literary process on material of novels «Lavr» and «Aviator» by Evgeny Vodolazkin and «Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes» by Guzel Yakhina. To make this analysis wider and more versatile some works by other famous authors are involved. Among them, there are such novels as «Rakhil» by Andrey Gelasimov, «Sinologist» by Elena Chizhova and «Quest» by Boris Akunin.
As a matter of fact, alternative history as a science fiction genre means the development of historical happenings influenced by a number of circumstances. We consider alternative history in broad context, which means as the phenomenon of choice, variant, variation that are closely connected with the semantic of the word «alternative». The article provides readers with some researches of such literary alternative models as alternative сhronotope, alternative character, alternative history method.
Alternative chronotope involves augmented reality, the world created by the demiurge-character inside the common space-time work construction. Creating of such world is closely connected with trauma and with character’s try to protect himself from the outside influence.
The doubles are called in this research alternative characters since their paired existence, where each of them has its other variant. On material of novel «Aviator», the types of doubles are shown. Thus the system of characters is created. Contexture is built in a mirror-principal. With the help of such technique, the author creates the infinity and out-of-time effects.
The term «alternative history method» in this article means synthesis of fantastical and documental in the novels by Evgeny Vodolazkin. This combination defines genre uniqueness of authors’ books.
In this research work we also discuss the problem of genre mashup in Russian literature and integrated approach to the analysis of alternative-historical fantastic.