This dissertation focuses on lexical-semantic and pragmatic-stylistic properties of lexical combinations in British fiction on military themes of the beginning of the XXI cent. The peculiarity of contemporary texts on military themes (TMT) is a different degree of the war theme representation, which can be observed at the levels of macro-, meso- and micro-inclusions in the outline of a literary text. The popularity of military themes in the latest fiction texts is predetermined by the conflict actions taking place nowadays. Thus, from the pragmatic-discourse and anthropocentric points of view, the study of these fictional prose texts is extremely relevant given their lexical-semantic and pragmatic-stylistic peculiarities. Lexical-semantic space is considered to be a complex system of lexical units, united into microsystems (fields, groups, subgroups, etc.) on the basis of a common theme and conceptual meaning representing a certain conceptual sphere. Interpretation of the literary texts and their general influence on readers are highly dependent on the lexical units, thoroughly selected by the author in accordance with his / her intention. Thus, pragmatic-stylistic approach made it possible to conduct an integrated analysis of the lexical-semantic space of contemporary TMT in three directions of its expansion, taking into account all the extra lingual factors influencing the process of a literary text composition. As a result of this research, the same dominant lexical-semantic, lexical-thematic and lexical-associative groups and fields were distinguished in all the texts. Nevertheless, certain differences were observed in the qualitative correlation and the functioning of the groupings, connected with the military themes. The use of the lexical combinations connected with the war theme is more obvious in the literary texts with macro- and meso-inclusions of military themes. However, their function in the texts with micro-inclusions of military themes is quite significant as well: the details of the military environment and phenomena serve as a means of making a close connection between the reader and the fiction world; recollections of the war period echo in the plot line of the characters, reflecting its destructive consequences even long afterwards. The analysis of the investigated literary texts demonstrates the harmonious supplement of the war theme by these lexical groupings and the anthropological vector of contemporary literary texts on military themes (physical traumas and psychological shocks, inner state and feelings of the characters caused in the course of military actions). To sum up, the lexical-semantic component reflecting military realia and actions aims at the reproduction of the distinct picture of the war and post-war period. Depicting war, or simply mentioning it, contemporary authors induce us to ponder over the influence of war on the everyday life of a person, offering ways of overcoming a psychological trauma. The author’s choice of the military theme is determined by a special intention – reflection on the perniciousness and absurdity of any war on the bright examples of the past, appeal to the mankind to prevent a similar disaster in the future. Key words: lexical-semantic space, lexical-semantic / lexical-thematic / lexical-associative group, lexical-semantic / lexical-thematic / lexical-associative field, pragmatic-stylistic, text.
