The monograph is a comprehensive study of the functioning of thanatological motifs in fiction. Based on the rich traditions of studying the problem of death in humanitarian thanatology and literary criticism, the author identifies a specific field of knowledge - literary thanatology, designed to identify and systematize thanatological elements in literature. The starting point for literary research in this area is the theory of motive, which allows us to focus on the role of one component of the text in the organization of the work, the author’s creative system, and even the historically determined artistic paradigm. The logic of the study is dictated by a semiotic approach to motive analysis: the semantics, syntactics and pragmatics of thanatological elements are studied. In the context of these areas of the sign, the features of the representation of thanatological motifs, their participation in the organization of the plot, in the creation of character images, interaction with various artistic paradigms, aesthetic categories, etc. are considered. The book is addressed to philologists, philosophers, cultural experts and anyone interested in issues of literary criticism and humanitarian thanatology.