Abstract

The paper deals with the problem of representing time in fictional discourse from different perspectives The principle of binary oppositions is used in it to investigate "surface"
and "deep" layers of meaning in the text of the short story Ripe Figs by the American writer Kate Chopin. lt is established that the "surface" semantic layer includes the
opposition of the key words "ripe" (adult) and " green" (young) as well as the corresponding semantic fields. The "deep" layer of meaning includes an opposition of descńptive-
narrative contexts and evaluative textual sequences. the analysis shows that narrative and descriptive sequences are connected with the perception of time by an adult w oman
(which may be called "objective fictional time") while evaluative contexts are connected with the perception of time by a teenage girl ("subjective fictional time).