DOI: 10.25136/2409-8698.2024.3.70297

EDN: PZDLEM

Abstract: The subject of the study is the evolution of the "little man" as a literary phenomenon based on the novels "Overcoat" by Gogol and "Irrepressible Tambourine" by Remizov. It is noted that the content of the term under study is not limited to the semantics of the image, which contains a meaningful characteristic of a certain type of literary hero, but depends on the narrative structure of the work. This position of the "little man" in Gogol and Remizov is at the intersection of interrelated factors: details as a carrier of the grotesque in fictional reality and at the level of narrative instance, as well as modifications of a specific genre form, expressed in the original construction of the composition – Gogol overcoming the genre of physiological essay and Remizov household anecdote, respectively. The study shows that detail plays a key role in the poetics of the works of these authors and determines not only the dynamics of the image in a particular work, but also forms an appropriate aspect of influence. Remizov inherits the indirect characterization of a literary character through the details of the external world, adopted by Gogol, but in another way secures with their help the status of the main character of the "Irrepressible Tambourine" as a small person at the narrative level due to a more open organization of the horizon of readers' expectations.  The task required the synthesis of a historical and genetic approach with a genrological (genological) one, which made it possible to consider the category of "little man" as an element of poetics, reinterpreted by Remizov in "Irrepressible Tambourine" under the influence of Gogol's work, and its significance in connection with the transformation of the genre model with an individual author's approach to narration. The study showed that Remizov overcomes the epistemological uncertainty of the narrator in the "Overcoat" and, thanks to the details referring to the mythopoeic context (Ancient Russia, Eros), builds the image of a small man (Stratilatov), whose insignificance and mediocrity are less related to the plot of the "Irrepressible Tambourine" than with archetypal references that are carriers of narrative semantics stories and setting the meaningful direction of the author's thought. Thus, the unknowability of the foundations of being by the character is emphasized at the narrative level of the work, enhanced by the grotesque characterization. The corresponding conclusion, according to the author of the article, is relevant in analyzing the system of images of literary heroes in Remizov and his anticipation of the work of European expressionist prose writers with their emphasis on the existential, rather than social source of human suffering.

DOI: 10.25136/2409-8698.2024.3.70166

EDN: HQFTYE

Abstract: Since ancient times, doctors have usually played the image of rescuers who save lives. As a symbol-rich image, "doctor" often enters the scope of writers' creativity and becomes a typical creative theme. This paper explores the image of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors in literature. The purpose of the study is to understand how TCM practitioners are portrayed and represented in literature, to analyze their social and cultural influence and their impact on people's perceptions and attitudes towards TCM. The relevance of this article is that it can help people to better understand the position and image of TCM in different historical periods and cultural environments, as well as its relationship with society, culture and people's lives. The subject of this paper is the image of TCM doctors in literary works of a certain period, region or cultural context such as ancient works, modern literary works and works of specific writers. By analyzing the images in different works, the diversity of such images of TCM physicians such as wise doctors and mysterious healers can be demonstrated. This paper uses methods of literary analysis, including close reading of the text, character analysis, plot and theme study. The text is also studied in the context of historical and cultural context to understand the views and attitudes of the society of the time towards TCM and doctors. The scientific novelty of studying the image of traditional Chinese medicine in Chinese literature gives us an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates literature with medicine and cultural studies and offers new ways to deeply understand TCM culture and human perception of health. The results of the study indicate the diversity of TCM physicians' images in the literature. In addition, the findings may reflect different understandings and evaluations of TCM in different periods and cultural contexts.

DOI: 10.25136/2409-8698.2020.1.32301

Abstract: The subject of this research is the theme of intemperance in the novel by Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin “The Golovlyov Family”. The theme of intemperance is important for grasping the ideological content of this work, because it comes up more than once and associated with an entire range of characters. In literature and folklore, intemperance sequentially correlates with the theme of cognizing the truth and adoration of a woman. In the ancient practices of initiation, alcohol consumption carried a ritual nature, conducing the transformed state of mind. The presented in the article archetypical approach towards the literary text is based on the ideas of Carl Gustav Jung, as well as advanced in the writings of Russian and foreign literary scholars. The novelty of the conducted consists in the fact that the motif of intemperance in the novel “The Golovlyov Family” is examined from the perspective of archetypical approach for the first time, which allows determining the semantic universalities instilled in this work. The author comes to the conclusion that Saltykov-Shchedrin describes intemperance as a mystery, in which the dichotomy “abased – elevated” manifests in an unambiguous unity.