The article explores the concept of chronotope as an essential element of literary work that integrates spatial and temporal dimensions of the artistic world. Drawing on the theories of M.M. Bakhtin, Y.M. Lotman and others, the article highlights the genre-forming, structural, communicative, and value-based functions of the chronotope. Special attention is paid to the classification of chronotopes and their role in shaping a literary model of reality.