Literary criticism

The article examines historically determined approaches to the study of the oeuvre of the Chinese writer Lu Xun in the Soviet literary criticism in the 20–70s of the ХХth century, identifies the causes of interest in his heritage, analyzes the main achievements of the Russian Lu Xun studies, and provides a comparison with similar works by Chinese scientists.

The linkages between two levels of Chekhov’s and Andreyev’s plays – everyday life and existence – are considered in the article. Such aspects of main characters’ life as the existential tragedy of being, the state of alienation, loneliness, ambivalence, untrue existence, breakthrough to the beauty and divine grace are analyzed.

The article analyzes the rhetoric roots of A. I. Solzhenitsyn’s novel «The First Circle». It is proved that the rhetoric nature of the novel as a genre – as described by M. M. Bakhtin and Yu. M. Lotman – is characteristic for Solzhenitsyn’s novel. Research of the rhetoric «sources» of the novel together with other roots of large epic genres in Solzhenitsyn’s oeuvre is an important route to the comprehension of both the nature of the writer’s artistic method and the genre of the Russian novel of the XXth century in general.

The article raises the question of the impact of Pushkin’s works on the Russian women writers of the XIXth century. It shows the way of development of Pushkin’s artistic experience in the creativity of Eugeniya Tour. The woman-writer developed Pushkin’s images of a «dreamer» and a «superfluous man» in her own way. Her interpretation was determined by the new historic conditions and gender factors as well.