Izvestiya of Saratov University.
ISSN 1817-7115 (Print)
ISSN 2541-898X (Online)


миф

Lyrical Triptych «Petropolis» by O. E. Mandelstam: Textual Criticism and Poetics

The article focuses on one of the little-researched author’s edition of a cycle of poems «Petropolis» and shows that in the form of a triptych it has an inherent artistic value. The analysis demonstrates the birth process of the individual poetic myth and the synthesis of various levels of meaning.

«Foolish for Myth’s Sake»: to the Problem of Personal and Creative Strategy of V. V. Rozanov

In the article the concept of «foolishness for Christ’s sake» is analyzed in the light of socio-cultural tendencies of the beginning of the XXth century. The legitimacy of regarding V. V. Rozanov as one the «foolish» of his time is established. The fact is that Rozanov’s «foolishness» was defined by a behavioural stereotype of the beginning of the XXth century culture according to which he «was creating» a personal myth.

«Odyssey’s Return» and «Prodigal Son» by N. Gumilev as a Poetic Dilogy

The article considers the formation of the Acmeist concept of creativity under the influence of the interaction of antique and Christian traditions on the material of two of N. S. Gumilev’s poems. These traditions have been poetically personified in the reconstruction of the return myths most renowned in the world culture.

The Roman Empire in the Lyric Poetry of the Late Soviet Period (Jaаn Kaplinski and David Samoilov)

In the present paper the extent of allusions to topics in the history of Ancient Rome is assessed within the officially accepted Soviet literature. Different instances of interest towards the Roman antiquity among the poets of the second half of the ХХ century are classified and accounted for. The social and literary context of Rome-inspired Jaаn Kaplinski’s ( Vercingetorix, 1967) and David Samoilov’s ( Remus and Romulus, 1969) lyric poetry is assessed, as well as their relationship with the Classical subject matter and the 19th century civil poetry.

The Border between Reality and Fantasy in the Works of N. V. Gogol and V. I. Dal

The article highlights the ways of more detailed comparison of the dual reality motif in the creative systems of Nikolay Gogol and Vladimir Dal. The key conclusions are made on the basis of the plot line and composition peculiarities of the texts, folklore symbolism and parallel review of the characters.

The Intertextual and Mythological Codes of O. Paz’s Poem Piedra de Sol

The article is dedicated to one of the major poems of Octavio Paz – Piedra de Sol (1957). By interpreting the intertextual and mythological codes of the text, the author shows how elements of the Aztec culture enter in correlation with images and themes common to French poets from G. de Nerval to the Surrealists.

The ‘Golden Age’ in the Russian Literary Context: Origin and Modern Content of the Mythical Image

The image of the Russian ‘golden age’ (the Pushkin era) is considered in the context of the general patterns of nostalgic mythmaking. It is shown that the idealization of the national past at different historical stages remains isomorphic to the generalized image of Antiquity, which is a contamination of the ‘golden age’ and the ‘century of heroes’. The literary criticism of the late Soviet nostalgia for the Pushkin era is an example of the combination of the ‘golden’ and ‘heroic’ centuries under the name of ‘golden’.

The Image of the Garden in the Novel La Faute de l’Abbé Mouret by Emile Zola

The article focuses on the garden as a literary image based on the archetype and some mythological allusions. The structure of the garden is analyzed in detail as the novel space at variance and in connection with the naturalistic aesthetic approach.

The image of Lermontov in the Soviet poetry and Meeting by Bulat Okudzhava

The article examines the literary context of one of the most important poems of Bulat Okudzhava. Special emphasis is placed on the pattern of making a classic poet a myth in the belles-lettres of the Soviet era. The connections of the poem Meeting with Lermontov’s poetry are noted, the functions of reminiscences are examined. The place of Lermontov’s image in the ‘poetic mythology’ of Okudzhava’s poetry is defined.

Lafcadio Hearn and Russia

The article studies the reception of the Anglo-American writer Lafcadio Hearn in Russia. The author analyzes the literary influence of L. Hearn on K. Balmont and his individual mythology, reveals the connection with such Russian cultural figures as S. Eisenstein and P. Florensky. The essay “Living God” by L. Hearn is compared with its translation by K. Balmont. The use of color in works by L. Hearn is considered from the standpoint of Eisenstein’s sound and visual correspondences.

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