Volume 16, 2018 year

In the center of the article there are famous Russian literary marginalia: notes made by of A. S. Pushkin in the margins of the poetic volume “Experiments in Verse and Prose” by K. N. Batyushkov and the academic dispute dedicated to them. The author offers a series of arguments to prove that Pushkin’s marks were not polemic, but editorial in nature. They were made in 1818 due to the request of Batyushkov himself and were an attempt of a “younger” poet to accomplish a “critical task” of his predecessor. The margin notes give evidence of a persistent and repeated appeal of Pushkin to the book of Batyushkov. This “frequency” set up the problem of remarks dating: different researchers, making different interpretations of Pushkin’s statements, refer them to the end of 1810s, or 1820s, or the middle of the 1830s. The author proves the need to take into consideration first of all the target of the margin notes and their history: in the light of bilateral “pragmatics” the problem of dating the marks takes a back seat.

Keywords: K. N. Batyushkov, “Experiments in Verse and Prose”, A. S. Pushkin, notes in the margins, genre of marginalia, copy editor, criticism, polemics, dating, interpretation

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The researchers of Turgenev’s writings have gained a significant experience while studying and interpreting the semantics of various components of the artistic world of the writer. For a long time the main accent was focused on the problems of identifying the features of the reconstruction of the heroes and characters of Turgenev's prose. At the same time, in the latter half of the last century considerable efforts were put to determine the place and functions of the space-time structure, its visual segment (including the coloristic one), as well as the peculiarities of the olfaction sphere. However, the role of the sound scores within the boundaries of Turgenev's poetics was studied only sporadically. Meanwhile, the sound code in the "The Hunting Sketches" cycle is of great importance. The structure of this component of the common picture of the world consists of a few levels; each of them has a certain hierarchy inside. At the natural level the sounds of fauna predominate with the predominance of birds’ voices, that conveys the semantics of the air and freedom. The noise element of the depicted flora is based on pantheistic principles with an emphasis on aesthetics and metaphorization. Within the social sound code the cultural paradigm occupies a special place with a clearly marked musical-vocal series that results in a special plot with the apogee in the story "Singers". Finally, a number of "mystical" sounds complement the complex picture of the national cosmos, as perceived and portrayed by Turgenev in its prosaic cycle.

Keywords: Ivan Turgenev, "The Hunting Sketches", the nature phonosphere, the sounds of society, the sound code of culture

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The article offers one of the possible interpretations of the semantics of the title toponym of the work of F. M. Dostoevsky “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”, gives the definition of an allusive toponym, analyzes the type of oikonym and its word-forming model. The naming “Stepanchikovo Village” fits into the manor text (enters in the farmstead text) of russian culture and literature. The author ties the nomination of the estate of Rostanev with the personal provincial experience of the writer, the main place in which belongs to Semipalatinsk. The dominant allusive toponym of Stepanchikovo village actualizes the non-textual information and the subtext of the work, presumably referring to the name of merchant Stepan Stepanov, who hosted A. E. Wrangel, Dostoevsky’s close friend. Such details as the name of the character Stepan Bakhcheev, “intolerable heat”, rare flowers in the estate and the Cossack servant allude to the estate “Kazakov’s garden” belonging to Stepan Stepanov, which used to be rented by A. E. Wrangel for spending summer time with friends.

Keywords: Dostoevsky, “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants”, allusive toponym, topos, manor text, Siberian text, Semipalatinsk

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The marginalia of readers are an indispensable attribute of book culture. They reflect a critical attitude to the main text, not only to someone else's, but often to their own. Analysis of marginalia is important for the study of the biography of historical figures and writers: their marginal notes, critical judgments, polemics, comments and additions reveal their identity as readers. Marginalia in a personal handwritten text have a special status. The main part of Dostoevsky's creative process is a sheet, a page, sometimes a center spread. His manuscripts are mostly dominated by editorial and creative comments. They have different functions in the structure and composition of the text. In their interaction appears a new semantic unity. Field marks enrich the main text with new meanings and nuances. In the marginalia, there is a parallel development of the topic, a methatext is formed in relation to the main text. Modern publishing activities ignore marginalia. It is necessary to keep marginalia published in handwritten works of writers.

Keywords: genre, poetics, marginalia, marginal notes, text structure, methatext, notebooks, exercise books, calligraphy, proofreading marks

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The article offers the analysis of genre and subject features of literary interpretations of the folk legends put together by E. N. Opochinin in Rybinsk County of Yaroslavl province (1909–1916). These legends have not yet been introduced for scientific use that makes the research challenging. The comparison of the legends with the those written down by A. N. Afanasyev allows expanding the idea about spiritual and moral values of Russian people. The legend as a genre is a tool of maintenance of subject elements of mythology. The axiological functions of its motives appear in the plot. Legends can be divided into those which refer to the violation of a divine order, and those which touch upon its restoration. Legends reveal the particularities of Christian outlook: via a prayer, veneration of Saints and their images, respecting for the family and social hierarchy, work, honesty, sobriety, mercy and mutual aid, responsibility for words and deeds, belief in Divine Providence. The “Memory of a genre” of a legend can be traced in literary works. The Violation of the Divine Order in legend and literary works results in the loss of humility and a sense of proportion, the lack of faith, offense against one’s property. The broken order is restored thanks to the protection of Saints and virtuous children for sinners.

Keywords: E. N. Opochinin, national legend, plot, motif, genre, axiology, spiritual and moral values, “memory of a genre” in literature

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The peculiarity of S. Lagerlöf’s artistic concept is the coexistence of myth and literature, folklore and Christian tradition, fiction and reality, mysticism and psychology within one text. The research aims to use the motive analysis to trace the peculiarities of the interrelation between folklore and Christian tradition in the Ring of the Löwenskölds trilogy. The first part of the trilogy (“The Ring of the Löwenskölds”) focuses on the folklore demonological story and at the same time the Gothic novel of the late 18th century; the second part (“Charlotte Löwenskölds”) corresponds to the wedding ritual tradition and at the same time implements the genre and stylistic features of the romantic psychological novel of the first half of the 19th century; the third part (“Anna Svärd”) transforms the folklore fairy tale tradition into a literary neoromantic novel of the second half of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, taking into account the realistic literary experience. S. Lagerlöf leads her reader through the history of Swedish (and even wider — European) culture and along the way of the Christian Transformation, from the subjugation by the passions in the first part through self-sacrifice and love in the second part to acceptance of the world and humility in the third part.

Keywords: Selma Lagerlöf, Neo-Romanticism, the Ring of the Löwenskölds, trilogy, folk motifs, Christian idea, spiritual transformation

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This article provides an analysis of an autobiographic image of the lyric hero of the poem “Povest’ Skorbi” (“The Povest’ of Sorrow”) by N. A. Klyuev (1933). The author of this poem puts forward the “kinship” closeness of his own destiny and his main creative concepts to his great predecessor, poet A. S. Pushkin. The text of Klyuev’s poem contains numerous references to the facts of Pushkin’s biography and his works. The study of these references is important not only for understanding the deep semantic layers of one of the most touching works of Olonets poet but also for understanding the principles of continuity of Pushkin’s ethical and aesthetic concepts in the late works of Klyuev. The author of the research comes to conclusion that the reference to Pushkin, to his biography and works in the poem contributes to the creation of an autobiographical image of the main character — the poet destined for death, who is summing up the results of his own career.

Keywords: a new peasant poetry, continuity, dialogue, literary tradition, poem, reminiscence, N. A. Klyuev, A. S. Pushkin

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The given article deals with an important feature of the poetic pattern of Leonov’s literary texts: intertextual intensity, the use of allusive words in the narration. There is an intensive use of the “alien word” in the novel “Russian Forest” (“Russkiy les”). The source of allusions in the novel is quite extensive: the Bible, ancient mythology, history, fairy tales, works of world fiction, etc. While referring to Leonov’s novel “Russian Forest”, it is next to impossible to notice a variety of external and hidden, deep literary reminiscences, allusive and ekphrastic elements bringing the image of Leonov to a certain tradition. The names of famous philosophers and eminent figures of different epochs, associations with the images of Russian writers, references to archipopular and little-known literary works, poetic quotations saturating Leonov’s text reveal spiritual aspirations and strengthen the life philosophy of the characters of the “Russian Forest” and form Leonov’s thoughts into a single and indivisible physical and the spiritual world. The purpose of the article is to analyze the manifestation of allusions in the novel by Leonov “Russian Forest”, to reveal the forms of allusive and ekphrastic elements and to determine their role in the novel. The associative and ekphrastic elements in Leonov’s text fulfill the function of overcoming the one-dimensionality of the novel content. The transformation of the figurative system with the help of ekphrasis fills it up with a philosophical, historical and cultural sense highlighting the writer’s idea of the symbolic. Myth and symbol in the novel “Russian Forest” are the main means of expressing the author’s literary philosophy. Besides, the article in question touches upon a problem of arts fusion in Leonov’s works, in particular synthesis of literature, painting and music as well as a problem of relation between the visual, musical and verbal. It is necessary to note that Leonid Leonov appears as a writer with a clear visualization of the worldview and a poetic word accordingly. As for musical associations, they create a unique musical background that helps the writer reveal characters’ temper and their psychological conditions.

Keywords: Leonid Leonov, “Russian Forest”, ekphrasis, allusive word, intertextuality, mythological image, character, painting, music, philosophy

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The article deals with the issue of the semantology of the Chuya highway in Russian fiction starting with V. Ya. Shishkov’s essays and finishing with the song of Garik Sukachov. Along with V. Ya. Shishkov, who determined the paradigm of the description the Chuya highway, V. M. Shukshin is considered to be the genius loci of this road. The Chuya highway plays a significant symbolic and compositional role in his artistic world, it determines the temper of the heroes-drivers. The semantic dominant of the image is the idea of the Chuya highway as a dangerous space, which tests a person for love and death. The metaphorical image of the “Chuya highway as a country” forms a part of the writers’ historiosophical models. The road, along with the song and the river, is a model of the world in its holistic contradiction. Space and time happen to tighten on the road and the cultures interpenetrate. The basic features of the road are individually refracted in artistic images, created by various authors of the 20th — early 21st centuries.

Keywords: road, image, semantic, V. Ya. Shishkov, V. M. Shukshin, S. P. Zalygin, Yu. N. Kozlov, P. G. Nizovoy

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The article contains analysis of E. R. Dombrovskaya’s creation, which the writer classifies as metanovel. The main part of the plot, tied to the story of the character’s personality development as well as his ascetic experience and the comprehension of Chekhov’s phenomena, is unveiled as the “bringing up novel” and the character’s “spiritual wanderings”. “Moving” the reader from the spiritual depths to the sphere of creativity, philosophy and literary criticism, the writer accurately follows the criteria of spiritual experience. Such methodology helps to see Chekhov as a true Christian writer. Author`s thoughts on spiritual wholesomeness of the process of creative exploration of classicist’s artistic heritage, on the gradual increase of his level of understanding is emphasized by the key image of evangelical seed. Eploration of the Chekhov’s creations is completed by combining literary and personal / family realities. Family novel, rich with content, is connected with problematic aspect (the struggle between family as a little chirch and the world) and the aspect of intonation (tenderness) of the book. Including numerous genre types and modelling the situation of the spiritual — artistic process, Domrovskaya’s book is internally wholesome, which is reached by the author’s position and strictly measured evangelical tradition. It is a rare for the modern literature Christian metanovel.

Keywords: E. R. Dombrovskaya, Anton Chekhov, spiritual prose, metanovel, plot, picturesque, genre, image

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