CROSS-CULTURAL REPRESENTATION OF ALLUSIONS IN ENGLISH, KOREAN, AND UZBEK FICTION:A COMPARATIVE LINGUOCULTURAL ANALYSIS OF MRS DALLOWAY, 무정, AND O‘TKAN KUNLAR

Abstract

Allusions represent an important linguistic and literary mechanism through which fictional texts preserve and transmit cultural knowledge. As indirect references to historical events, literary works, religious concepts, myths, and social traditions, allusions function not only as stylistic devices but also as carriers of national identity and collective memory. Their interpretation requires cultural competence because the meaning of an allusion is determined by the historical and cultural background shared by a particular community. This article examines the cross-cultural representation of allusions in three representative fictional texts: Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway (1925), Lee Gwang-su’s 무정 (Mujeong, 1917), and Abdulla Qodiriy’s O‘tkan kunlar (Bygone Days, 1925). The study aims to identify the national-cultural specificity of allusions and analyze their role in representing cultural values, historical consciousness, and social identity. The research applies a comparative linguocultural approach supported by intertextual, semantic, and contextual analysis. The analysis focuses on historical and literary allusions as cultural markers. The findings reveal that allusions demonstrate both universal and culture-specific characteristics. In Mrs Dalloway, allusions mainly represent post-war British identity, collective trauma, and continuity with Western literary traditions. In 무정, they reflect Korean modernization, Confucian heritage, and national enlightenment discourse. In O‘tkan kunlar, they preserve Uzbek historical memory, Islamic-cultural values, and Eastern literary traditions. The study concludes that allusions serve as cultural bridges between past and present, enabling literary texts to represent national worldview through condensed linguistic forms.