DOI: 10.25136/2409-8698.2020.3.32711

Abstract: This article explores the impact of the elements and techniques of romantic and gothic literatures of the XVIII – XIX centuries upon anti-nihilistic novella “The Fatal Sacrifice” (1876) by A. A. Dyakov (A. Nezlobin). Attention is focused on the gothic-romantic motif of the “counsel of the wicked” and its adaptation to the relevant sociopolitical context of Russia and Russian émigré of the 1870’s. It is demonstrated that a mythological image of “witches’ sabbath” and characteristic to it motifs of “sacrifice”, “veneration of idols”, etc. become the techniques for depicting in the “Fatal Sacrifice” of a Swiss “club” of nihilists, revolutionists-socialists, and Narodniks. The author applies the biographical, comparative and historical methods of research, motif analysis, as well as analysis of storyline and characterology. The ideological component of nihilistically oriented Russian society of the 1860’s – 1870’s is taken into account.  The novella “Fatal Sacrifice”, which is included into the cycle “Kruzhkovschina” (1876-1879) is being analyzed for the first time, since there is no special scientific literature on these works within the Russian or foreign literary studies. The novelty of this research also consists in raising a question of the influence of romantic and gothic prose upon the works of A. A. Dyakov. Such influence is related to the two common to Russian anti-nihilistic literature semantic lines: eschatological and prophetic.

DOI: 10.25136/2409-8698.2019.2.29893

Abstract: The article is devoted to an understudied issue, the relation of Russian anti-nihilistic novel (1860 - 1880) to gothic novel or, in a wide sense, European and Russian gothic literature. The scope of the research covers a number of Russian and foreign researches directly or indirectly discussing the relation 'anti-nihilistic - gothic novel'. In accordance with the research objectives and targets, the author provides an insight into the matter and describes the areas for his research. The main research methods used by the author include bibliographical, biographical, motif and plot analysis, comparison and historical literary research. The  main issues related to the Russian nihilism - gothics relation include the question about whether there was a gothic plot in an anti-nihilist novel; the influence of gothic literature on the creative method of particular authors in anti-nihilistic novel, goals of gothic poetics in Russian anti-nihilistic novel, the influence of gothic poetics on the development of eschatological motifs of Apocalypse in Russian anti-nihilistic novels. Trying to describe the general meaning of addressing of anti-nihilistic authors to the poetics of gothic novel, the author of the article comes to the concept of the 'highest analytical meaning' of anti-nihilistic novel when conclusions are mystical prophesy and discovers the need in an anagogic interpretation of a text. Thus, references  to gothics in an anti-nihilistic novel are not limited to the borrowing of expressive means but relate to the Russian eschatology issue.