IMAGE OF THE THAMES IN THE NOVEL OF CH. DICKENS "OUR MUTUAL FRIEND"
Actuality is caused by the reference to the last completed novel by Ch. Dickens “Our mutual friend” (1865), which is still an object of keen interest for researchers concerning ideologic and artistic significance of the novel. Was revealed traditional for Ch. Dickens interest in moral, ethical and social problems, in artistic aspect it is exposed by the use of the topic of art space and geographic realities of London, which get symbolic meaning. This idea is developed on the example of the river image, which is connected with plot structure of the novel, social aspect of the characters’ lives (river as characters’ habitat, scene of crimes). Special emphasis is put on complex moral and philosophical aspect of the image of the Thames (topic of trial and problem of moral rebirth of the characters; the river also symbolizes the flow of people’s life, that inevitably directs to death as the Ocean). The river image is also a source of different tropes.