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This article is an attempt to reconstruct the semantic structure of the incoherent – and even absurdist – text of Konstantin Batyushkov’s poem “Podrazhanie Goratsiiu” (1852). Written by a demented poet, this text seems to lack any logic, yet it has a logic of its own (although the poem’s plane of expression is different from what we expect from a 19th-century poet).
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This article suggests that the delay of the first night of Alexander Ostrovsky’s comedy "Bednost’ ne porok" (1854) in St. Petersburg can be explained by the fact that the playwright was deeply dissatisfied with the music of Wiktor Każyński, the author of popular polkas. From what we know from Ostrovsky’s correspondence, the playwright was skeptical about Każyński’s decision to use polka tunes in the version of the comedy meant to be staged in the Alexandrinsky Theatre. For Ostrovsky the very genre of the polka was deeply related to vulgarity, something Ostrovsky had always tried to avoid.
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The purpose of this article is to reveal a sonnet-like structure in a famous poem by Alexander Blok, “Ona prishla s moroza…” (1908). The last four “stanzas” of the poem mimic the strophic structure of the Italian sonnet (4 + 4 + 3 + 3), thus stabilizing the otherwise unpredictable verse form (vers libre).
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This chapter of the unpublished doctoral dissertation of an expert on Dostoyevsky and literary theory, Romen Nazirov (1934–2004), addresses the problem of how Russian 19th-century literature treated the cultural motif of a deal with the devil. The chapter is centered on an overview of the variants of this motif in the writings of Nikolai Gogol, Vladimir Odoyevsky, Ivan Goncharov, and others.
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Topos of home is the element of space-time continuum of Russian drama of 20th century which reveals the tendencies of literary development, the features of image of person and society in the works of such authors as Anton Chekhov, Mikhail Bulgakov, Maksim Gorky, Maria Arbatova, Nikolay Kolyada, Ksenya Dragunskaya, Olga Mikhaylova, Vasily Sigarev, Nina Sadur, etc. The reduction of topos of home is traced from a homestead to an anti-home and homelessness as a reflection of social, moral and ethical decrease of society.
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The article is an attempt to present the techniques of modeling dramatic space of the latest Russian drama works. The examples derived from Alexandr Shipenko, Nikolay Kolada or Oleg Bogayev’s oeuvre exemplify that writers, who resort to postmodern games with cultural codes and literary tradition, build the space of dramas on the terms of confronting contrasts and fulfilling them with the theatrical items in order to picture the changes that Russian society experienced after the period of transformation.
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The article deals with Nikolai Gogol’s first novel “Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” (1830), and studies the difference between its early and canonical editions, that argues for an attempt of an emerging author to create the “poetic history” of the people. The history in question is based on the traditional motifs of Slavic folklore: the love between two orphans, the separation of lovers (and the death of one or both of them afterwards), the soul selling, the “accidental” crime and God’s punishment for apostasy. Such a motif system of the story refers to an epic coverage of the events, that is characteristic for a fairy tale, while the description of the hero’s life — from his birth to his marriage and death — and of the typical for those times path to Cossacks can be attributed to the formal signs of the novel. However, the key feature of the novel is the negative characterization of the institution of Cossacs given here, conditioned by the previously existing official point of view, which contradicts its image in other Little Russian novels of the great writer. In the early prose of Gogol, Little Russia was first depicted as the land of miracles, the area of poetic world, with its history translated in legends, songs, and tales of its people.
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Turgenev’s novel “On the Eve” (“Nakanune”) is studied in relation to the Holy Scripture, in interaction with new lyrical and semantic contexts against the broad background of Turgenev’s creative works, as a whole. In the inner plan of the novel the system of biblical allusions and reminiscences is revealed, and their artistic functions in the poetics of the literary work. Attention is drawn to unrenowned, at first glance, artistic details, motifs and images, that contributes to a deeper penetration into Turgenev’s text and subtext. Associative links, formed by the thickening of figurative-symbolic elements, allow us to turn to a new interpretation of the novel “On the Eve”, in the title of which the thematic and symbolic beginnings of the text are concentrated. The analysis of the paratextuality of “On the Eve” is conducted; it becomes clear how the artistic text interacts with its own name. The novel gives a new interpretation of the title of the novel in the Christian vein. Based on the analysis, the main conclusion that the general religious and philosophical orientation of the novel “On the Eve”, lyrical and symbolic images and generalizations, Christian allusions allow the possibility of combining an artistic text with the evangelical context, is rooted in the proof that it leads to boundless spiritual and semantic depths.
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The article presents the analysis of the main problems of the long short story “Plastun” by Nikolay Tolstoy (the elder brother of Leo Tolstoy), that is the life of a man kidnapped during the Caucasus War and forced to live all his life in captivity. In the centre of narration there is a real man though described as a generalized character as far as he does not have a personal name. Different periods of his life are marked by certain nicknames, such as Zaychik-Volkovoy-Zaporozetz. The main character tells the listener Tolstoy N. N., who shows the interest and compassion to his life, the story of his childhood and youth. As a child his nickname was a Zaychik. As an adult he became an experienced hunter and an expert in animal habits the fact that explains his new nickname – Volkovoy. The composition of the long short story is full of philosophical, psychological and ethic symbols and personifications, based on Sacred Writings and the Patristic Tradition. The childhood-youth part of the short story is particularly symbolic as then the virgin soul of the hero felt the presence of God and strived to pray. The images-symbols play an important role in the artistic world of the short story: a singing nightingale, birds, men-mice, the “glass” sea, fish and palaces in the Zaychik’s dreams.
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The epistolary novel of Goethe “The suffering of the young Werther” acquired considerable popularity in Russian literature of the last decade of the eighteenth century. Numerous imitations of this masterpiece are opened by the Russian Werther Michael Sushkov, an autobiographical novel written in 1792 and published in 1801, a few years after the suicide of the seventeen-year-old author. In the present study, a comparative analysis is given of Novel's novel and the story of Sushkov. It is not a slavish imitation of the German script. At some similarity they have their own distinctive features. Russian Werther lives not only with feelings, but with reason. He combines superficial sentimentalism with Voltaireanism, which seems to be a common feature of the Russian noble culture of the late eighteenth century. Therefore, the Russian Werther is its original literary monument.
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This article analyzes the "artistic" trips of Russian writers of the late 18th and 19th centuries. Abroad, mainly to Germany, France and Italy. We were only interested in authors who were fond of Western European painting and studied it on their own observation. Their impressions were used later in the correspondence, memoirs, diaries and works of art. They are also taken into account in our article. Taking into account the chronological criterion, we described the trips of I. Chemnitzer (Paris), D. Fonvizin (Paris, Florence), N. Karamzin (Dresden), V. Küchelbecker (Dresden), V. Zhukovsky (Dresden, Leipzig), N. Ogareva (Dresden), V. Belinsky (Dresden), I. Turgenev (Dresden, Venice, Rome), F. Dostoevsky (Dresden) and V. Botkin (Sevilla). The highest appreciation of the writers-scarecrowers were: Raphael, Rubens, Durer, Titian and Murillo, and the most favorite masterpiece of Russian writers remained for many decades Sistine Madonna Raphael.
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The article is an attempt to summarize the current state of research on the complex relationship between Majakovsky and the power in post-Soviet Russia. The subject of analysis are three different interpretations of a given issue. Some critics perceive the poet as an indomitable singer of the revolution and a totalitarian state, while others regard him as a victim of totalitarianism. The most radical group of investigators accuses the creator of cynicism and hypocrisy. However, humanitarianism and the love of Majakowski's freedom and his complex relationship with the new authorities indicate that this issue should be subject to a more thorough and objective evaluation of literary science.
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This article presents the relationships and dependencies of Russian post-revolutionary poetry with biblical symbolism. In A. Galicz's anti-totalitarian poem on Stalin, the profanation of evangelical motives serves to reveal the cruelty of Soviet reality. In the poetry of A. Achmatova, B. Pastemak and M. Cserveva, the sacredness of biblical symbolism emphasizes the tragedy of human life in a society enslaved by the totalitarian regime.
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The article discusses the world outlook and artistic specificity of E. Limonov's autobiographical prose, whose work provokes polar opposite assessments of criticism. Trying to determine the mechanisms that govern society and individuals, the writer developed an original strategy of polemics and exposure of recognized authorities, generally accepted opinions, myths and ideological dogmas. In his novel Teenager Savenko and young rascal disparaging criticism using low satirical techniques exposed by representatives of the Soviet government era "Khrushchev thaw" and "stagnation" in the novel This is me - Eddie - weaknesses of the American democracy, in his articles - Negative results of "Perestroika" and "Yeltsin's bourgeois revolution."
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The article is devoted to the analysis of M. I. Tsvetaeva’s poem “V pustynnoy khramine...” (1922). The rejection of Mark Slonim’s opinion about the lack of religiousness in M. Tsvetaeva’s poems became a starting point for the analysis. An initial perception of the text as that one belonging to “love lyrics”, has been disproved due to analytical reading. The ambiguity of interpretation is possible by virtue of the fact that M. I. Tsvetaeva creates multilevel system of the hints, which darkens the message of the poem. Only some artistic details such as “incense”, “Logos”, “earthly hands” are mentioned, thus expanding the boundaries of the semantic field of the poem. For instance, “earthly hands” are seen as a symbol of Jesus Christ praying in the garden of Gethsemane, and refer to the Gospel of John. It is this way of interpretation that makes possible the opposition “the Divine” and “the Earthly”. Thus, the poem “V pustynnoy khramine...” embodies M. Tsvetaeva’s world perception and expresses her ideas of essence of poetic work.
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The article is devoted to the study of structure-building function of the images of nature in M.A. Osorgin’s novels (Witness history, Book of ends). It is proved that they are the elements of the narrative, giving it the wholeness and expressing conceptually postulates, which are important for the author. There are natural images of the two subspecies in Osorgin’s works: mytho-genetic, dating back to ancient archetypal ideas (river, forest) and a variety of images that emerged from real life experiences and have powerful symbolizing capabilities. There are also images of natural elements, containing sub-textual powerful symbolism. In general, the structure of Osorgin’s novels (Witness history and Book of ends) non-storyline natural imagery becomes a distinct sphere of the author's presence in the text; it brings the reader's attention to the ideas of organic nature and appropriateness of traditional forms of existence in relation to the unjustified cruelty of the most extreme forms of social existence, such as wars and revolutions.
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The motif of the Second Coming of Christ takes a special place in Russian fantastic fiction at the turn of the millennium. In the recent decades allusions to the Gospel topic appears in increasing frequency in the genre of fantasy. The aim of the given article was to analyze the peculiarities of the depiction of the subject of Advent in Russian fantastic fiction. As the basis for the research the novels of Y. Voznesenskaya, N. Perumov, V. Khlumov, S. Lukyanenko and T. Ustimenko are of particular interest. The Advent motif appears in the story line of each of the novels in question. Though, the attitude of the authors to the image of the Savior and his second coming to the world fluctuates: from a respectful expectation (Y. Voznesenskaya, T. Ustimenko, S. Lukyanenko) to the depiction of the Savior as a monster (N. Perumov). The possibility of an ambivalent interpretation of the Savior is the eloquent evidence of desacralization of this image. The profaning of the sacred is one of the tendencies of the modern popular culture. The genre of fantastic fiction, as a product of mass culture, has caught this trend quite precisely.
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The article introduces archival materials that cover the question of collaboration of an outstanding publicist, Slavophil and statesman T. I. Filippov (1826-1899) with the daily “Grazhdanin” edited by V. P. Meshchersky and F. M. Dostoevsky. It also brings light upon the issue of T. I. Filippov’s letters addressed to historian M. P. Pogodin dated back to 1873-1874 and on the texts of some manuscripts presented by Filippov for the review of the Journal editorial board. One of the research aspects is dedicated to the problem of an anonymous participation of T. I. Filippov as a publicist in “Grazhdanin”; more specifically, the attribution of the economic review “About State Budget» to Filippov is supported (“Grazhdanin” 1873. №1, no signature). Thanks to the discovered manuscripts (light verses and a satirical sketch) the fact of collaboration of the writer in 1873-1874 with “Grazhdanin” in the column named “Last page” becomes evident.
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I. S. Andrianova Dostoevsky’s Acquaintances: K. P. Villebois, Russian Composer with a French Surname Abstract All his life F. M. Dostoevsky was bound with music. He liked singing and attended literary and musical events and concerts, Russian and Italian opera. Thus, music found its way in his works. The writer was well-received among the composers, musicians, singers and actors. Dostoevsky used to meet Petersburg musicians in different years, particularly, in 1860 in the circle of his friends, at literary and musical events, where they often appeared together. Among his acquaintances there were musicians and composers M. I. Glinka, K. N. Lyadov, M. P. Mussorgsky, the Rubinsteins, A. N. Serov, P. P. Sokalsky, K. P. Villebois, G. Venyavsky, N. A. Kashevsky. Dostoevsky met only once some of them while he was bound with others by companionship during a long time. In late 1860 -early 1861 Dostoevsky got acquainted with composer K. P. Villebois, a disciple and assistant of M. I. Glinka. A common interest they had in determining an ethnie in art and in the Russian idea drew them together for a short period of time. This article based on the study of the periodicals of the 19th century reveals the forgotten and new biographical data of Villebois and presents an overview of his relations with Glinka and Dostoevsky. There is the only letter of the composer to the writer remained unpublished in full. It shows the level of Dostoevsky’s musical culture and his circle of contacts among musicians in the 1860s. Attached to the article there is the letter published with commentaries.
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E. A. Fedorova E. N. Opochinin and His Diary Notes About F. M. Dostoevsky: Known and Unknown Abstract Taking an active part in the cultural life of Russia of the late 19th and early 20th centuries Opochinin was acquainted with lots of his famous contemporaries — Vyazemsky P. P., Maikov A. N., Milyukov A. P., Grigorovich D. V., Krestovsky V. V., Polonsky Ya. P., Turgenev I. S., F. M. Dostoevsky and others — and depicted their portraits in his notes. The article for the first time envisages Opochinin’s diary notes of 1879 1880 about F. M. Dostoevsky, entitled “My conversations with Dostoevsky”, from the viewpoint of the spiritual and moral reference points that defined the worldview of the late Dostoevsky. In his notes Opochinin specified the issues Dostoevsky was occupied with during his work on the novel “The Brothers Karamazov”. In his conversations with the novice man of letters Dostoevsky thought about peculiarities of the infant soul and world, about the construction of a religious family as a way out of the spiritual crisis of the society and the crisis of “gender relations”, about repentance as a way to the restitution of harmony of Man with conscience and with God, about the writer’s attitude to his nation and Motherland, about the veneration of God’s image by Russian people. Dostoevsky’s spiritual and moral ideas turned to be familiar to Opochinin’s ones. Thus, following them allowed the young contemporary of the great writer to take a rightful place in life, journalism and history of Russian literature.
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