A SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION OF THE IMAGE OF THE “RICH” IN ENGLISH LITERARY CRITICISM BASED ON THE THEORIES OF MAX WEBER, ROLAND BARTHES, AND ERICH FROMM
This article examines the formation and semantic structure of the “rich man” image in English literary studies through three major
theoretical frameworks: Max Weber’s concept of capitalist ethics, Roland Barthes’s semiotic model of textual codes, and Erich
Fromm’s psychological concept of the “having–being” modes. The study explores the ethical, symbolic, and psychological
dimensions of wealth representation in the works of John Galsworthy (The Forsyte Saga), Charles Dickens (Great Expectations, A
Christmas Carol), and Jack London (Martin Eden). The analysis demonstrates that the “rich man” figure in English literary
scholarship functions not merely as an indicator of economic power or social superiority, but as a complex artistic construct that
shapes a system of semantic textual codes and reflects the inner psychological condition of the character.
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