Research work
« Mystical images in the works of Russian and foreign writers and their impact on the minds of adolescents
I. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………3
II. Main part……………………………………………………………………………….4
1. What is fear?………………………………………………………………………………4
2. Mystical images in the works of Russian writers……………………………..6
3. Mystical works of modern Russian literature and foreign
writers…………………………………………………………………………………………9
III. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….12
IV. Literature………………………………………………………………………………..13
V. Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………….14
I. Introduction
Man has different emotional feelings: fear, fear, joy, sadness, fear and others, the manifestation of which often depends on the influence of external factors. These feelings are an inevitable part of our life. Constantly changing, they accompany us throughout our lives. One of the most common and challenging the greatest interest is fear. A person tries to overcome, reduce, overpower or curb fear in various ways. Some people try not to think about their fears, replacing them with manifestations of positive emotions. Others, on the contrary, seek to learn more about fear by turning to reading literature and watching movies.
Fear is emotional manifestation human feelings, which is studied in psychology for enough deep level. Mystical fears are one of the common, but little-studied types of fear. Mystical fears include the fear of the dark, the fear of being alone, the fear of non-existent monsters, aliens, the evil eye, etc.
In the history of psychology, research on "mystical" fears has usually been done with children or adolescents. In our study, we turned to the search for the relationship between the level of severity of mystical fears and the general creativity modern teenagers, as well as the level of development of their imagination.
aim our study is to determine the influence of mystical images of works of Russian and foreign literature on adolescents.
Tasks:
· present a description of the emotion of fear according to the Russian language dictionaries ;
· identify literary means of creating mystical images in works and determine how they affect the consciousness of adolescents.
To solve the tasks, we used general scientific methods– observations, analysis, comparison, questionnaire method.
Research hypothesis: in our opinion, mystical images have a different impact on adolescents depending on the characteristics of a literary work and their interests.
Object of study: mystical images from the works of Russian and foreign literature of different periods.
II. Main part
1. What is fear?
Every living being experiences fear. As Edmund Burke said, "None of the senses can deprive our brain of reason and action to the extent that fear can." But what is fear?
Fear is pure negative emotion, however, it also has some positive aspects: fear - psychological basis survival, fear is an incentive to live and die at the same time, sometimes people die from fear, and sometimes only thanks to it they are saved, fear mobilizes all physical and mental forces in order to survive. Therefore, it is extremely important to "look fear in the face", understand its impact on a person and get rid of outdated stereotypes. Referring to various kinds of dictionaries allows us to identify the semantic components of the concept of fear.
Etymological dictionary Russian language gives the following explanation of the origin of the word fear:
Fear- common Slavic, which has a correspondence in the Germanic and Baltic languages \u200b\u200b(Middle Lithuanian stregti to stiffen, stony and German strecken to pull out) Initially, fear meant numbness, stupefaction.
In this case, it can be assumed that the word fear has undergone changes in its lexical meaning over time: in modern Russian, fear means a lesser degree of fear than it used to mean, and a very strong fear is denoted by the word horror, while initially it meant very strong horror, nightmare , from which the blood runs cold, and the hair on the head stand on end.
Now let's turn to the definition of the word fear in the explanatory dictionary :
Fear- passion, fear, timidity, strong fear, anxious state of mind from fright, from a threatening or imaginary disaster.
In this definition, the word "fear" is interpreted through synonyms passion, fear, timidity, strong fear. The adjective "strong" indicates the intensity of the manifestation of emotion.
Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language gives the following interpretation of the lexical meaning of fear:
Fear- very strong fear, strong fear.
IN encyclopedic dictionary"General Psychology", edited, we find the following definition: "Fear is an emotion that occurs in situations of threat to the biological or social existence of an individual and is directed at a source of real or imagined danger."
Summing up, we can say that fear is an anxious state of a person, the power of manifestation of which is associated with the level of development of the imagination.
In the course of our study, we concluded that 70% of respondents are ready to experience fear, turning to literary works in order to awaken new sensations, increase adrenaline levels and create unusual paintings own imagination.
Let's remember our parents sitting in the evening by the fire in a pioneer camp or in a dark room and telling each other the so-called " horror stories» about the Coffin on Wheels, the Black Hand or the Black Piano. How many emotions and tension they caused! But they are still alive in the memory of the older generation.
So, based on the results of our study, we proved that mystical images have a different effect on adolescents, depending on the characteristics of a literary work and their interests. Thus, the hypothesis is proven.
In conclusion, I would like to note that the popularity mystical literature only increases over the years. From mysticism came modern horror literature, a direction in cinema, cultural aesthetics. A huge number of people around the world follow fairy world mystical literature, looking for beauty in darkness and mystery.
IV.Literature
1. Golovin of a practical psychologist. - Minsk: Harvest, 1998-800s.
2. Dal dictionary of the living Great Russian language. – Ed. "ROOSSA", Tver, 2010 - 1000s.
3., Shvedova Dictionary of the Living Russian Language / Russian Academy of Sciences. Institute of Russian Language .- 4th ed., supplemented.-M.: Azbukovnik, 1999 - 944s.
4. Fingers, N. Scary Tales of Stephen King. Fantasy and reality [Text] / N. Paltsev. - http://kingclub. people. en/wdove/WIN1251/terror. htm1. Bowlby, 1973. - In the book: The Izard of Man. - Moscow State University, Moscow, 1980.
5. Petrovsky lexicon. - M.: PER SE, 2005 - 250s.
6. King Stephen Danse Maccabre. – Warner Books, London, 1993.
7. Shan etymological dictionary of the Russian language. Origin of words / , . - 7th ed., M.: Enlightenment, 2000, 995s.
8. Neelova of modern literature for children. Access mode: www. imago. spb. ru/soulbody/articles/article8.htm.
9. Psychological courses, psychological trainings, consultations. Access mode: www. imago. spb. en/soulbody/articles/article8.htm
Application
Research results
We conducted a study, the objects of which were students of grades 9-11 of our educational institution, and various questionnaires were offered to them. Here are his results.
Questionnaire No. 1
1) Are you attracted to books (movies) that contain mystical paintings Or pictures of fear?
Yes - 73%, no - 15%, have not read yet 12%
2) Do you experience unpleasant feelings, sensations after reading?
Yes - 52%, no - 48%
Questionnaire No. 2
1. Have you been interested in reading works,?
Yes - 74%, no - 26%
2. Did you experience fear while reading these works?
Yes - 4%, no - 96%.
Questionnaire No. 3
Do you read mystical works?
4. Did you experience fear while reading these works?
Yes - 68%, no -32%.
What feelings and sensations do you experience after reading these works? (See page 11.) Would you like to read these works again?
Yes - 54%, no - 46%.
7. What do you think is the influence of the mystical genre
for teenagers?
Positive - 66%, negative - 25%, difficult to answer - 9%.
The text of the work is placed without images and formulas.
Full version work is available in the "Files of work" tab in PDF format
EXPLANATORY NOTE
For my work, I chose the theme "Mysticism in literature as a reflection of the world of the human soul." At the core human psychology there is a keen interest in everything mysterious, inexplicable, and I am no exception. This topic has been of interest to me since childhood. I read a number literary works containing elements of mysticism, I already have some reading experience behind me, which is enough for a comparative analysis.
In my work, I want to pay special attention to the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The choice of the author is not accidental, since he is the most prominent representative mystical trend in Russian literature. His life and work are inextricably linked with everything mysterious and inexplicable. In my work, I pay special attention to such works of his as "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka", "Viy", "Nose", "Overcoat", "Portrait".
The main goal of my work is to determine the place of mystical literature, its functions and significance for a person.
The tasks that I set for myself: the study of literary works of a mystical orientation, both Russian and foreign authors; search for common distinguishing features mysticism; identification of the sources of mysticism and its functions.
I. MYSTICISM AND ITS ORIGINS
The purpose of my work is not to study mysticism from a philosophical, scientific and theological point of view. Therefore, I do not consider the definitions of mysticism given by philosophers, scientists and religious figures. Moreover, the dispute about the nature and essence of mysticism is still going on in these areas.
From the point of view of literature, mysticism (from the Greek mystikos - mysterious) is:
something incomprehensible, inexplicable, mysterious (source: dictionary of T. F. Efremova);
teaching, conviction, concept or inclination towards mysterious interpretation and ritualism (source: V. Dahl's dictionary);
something mysterious, incomprehensible, inexplicable (source: D. N. Ushakov's dictionary);
belief in the existence of supernatural forces with which a person is mysteriously connected and able to communicate (source: www.wikipedia.ru);
what is outside human understanding, but carries a special hidden meaning(source: www.onlinedics.ru).
Mystics contrast "reality" and "appearance." The word "reality" has not a logical, but an emotional meaning (source: www.onlinedics.ru).
All these definitions highlight the main features of mysticism. First of all - an appeal to the world of supernatural forces, the nature of which lies beyond the bounds of the human mind and which are perceived by a person at the level of spiritual sensations.
Mankind has always shown interest in mysticism, including in painting, sculpture, music, alchemy, and literature. But if we see the picture, we hear the music, then we can only mentally imagine what is described in words, understand with the mind; it is important to perceive mystical literature not only with the five main senses, but also with the sixth - with the soul.
Mysticism takes its beginnings in folk ethnos and religion. From there, he borrows the theme, characters, symbols, as well as the way of conveying sensations, feelings and emotions.
The main theme is the eternal conflict between good and evil and the personal choice of a person.
A striking example is Johann Goethe's tragedy Faust. The protagonist, Doctor Faust, is a man who lived long life, his mind is satiated. He tries to understand the world, but all attempts are fruitless. For a long time Faust lived as a recluse in his study, and he wants to taste the delights of life. His mind is strong, but his soul is weak, empty and helpless, as evidenced by his disappointment in science, to which he devoted his whole life, a suicide attempt and agreement to a deal with Mephistopheles. The weakness of Faust's soul is opposed by the strength of Margarita's soul, which is able to forgive and beg forgiveness for him.
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde has similar features to Goethe's tragedy, it is sometimes called the "new Faust". The protagonist Dorian, a young talented young man, succumbs to the influence of Lord Henry. One by one he does terrible deeds destroys loved ones. Dorian is most afraid of growing old, losing his extraordinary beauty. When his artist friend paints his portrait, the young man says: "Oh, if it could be the other way around! If only the portrait grew old, and I remained forever young!" And his wish comes true. The portrait not only takes away the "extra" years, but also takes on all the sins and misdeeds of Dorian. Sometimes the hero tries to improve, but only vanity guides his thoughts. His soul is also weak, like the soul of Faust. She is unable to make her own choice and fight for it.
In the ballads of Vasily Zhukovsky "Lyudmila" and "Svetlana" the characters also stand in front of moral choice. The main characters of both ballads are waiting for the return of their beloved. One receives terrible news, and the other has a disturbing dream. Lyudmila begins to grumble at God: "No, the creator is not merciful; forgive everything; everything." And in return, she gets what she asks - the girl is taken away by her dead fiancé: "Your groan was heard by the creator; your hour has beaten, the end has come." Svetlana is submissive to fate, she asks God to help her: "I pray and shed tears! Assuage my sorrow, comforting angel." And her dear, alive and still loving comes to her. "The best friend to us in this life is faith in providence."
The struggle between good and evil is clearly shown in Nikolai Gumilyov's story "Black Dick". The main character is the embodiment of evil, he does extremely low deeds. The pastor is trying to fight him, to guide the people around him on the right path. But then the priest realizes that it is impossible to fight violence with violence and that he should not have gone against Dick and awakened the evil lurking in him: "Everyone is given his own fate, and it is not befitting for us, knowledgeable people arbitrarily intervene in the work of God's Providence." terrible beast and dies. But evil is defeated at the cost of the life of an innocent girl, who in the story is the embodiment of good.
Many characters and symbols came to mysticism from ethnicity and religion. From there borrowed not only fantastic, but also real creatures endowed with unusual properties.
The black raven is found in many works. The bird symbolizes evil, death, desolation on the one hand, and longevity and wisdom on the other. "The raven croaks: sadness!" - says the ballad "Svetlana". In his poem "The Raven", Edgar Allan Poe calls the bird "the proud Raven of the old days", "terrible spirit", "undaunted prophet", "prophetic".
The crow is opposed to the dove - a symbol of peace, love, purity, hope. In the ballad "Svetlana" he is shown as a defender. In the same work, another bird is mentioned - a rooster, a symbol of the sun, dawn.
Not only living creatures, but even stones are a kind of sign, symbolize the cult of fire, as in the story "Black Dick". Other symbols are also mentioned in the same work: caves as a way to enter another world in Celtic mythology; black stones are a sign of the presence of ancient dark forces, etc. The ballad "Svetlana" speaks of another symbol - a mirror into which the heroine looks during divination. The mirror is a symbol of eternity, spiritual purity, a reflection of supernatural intelligence.
The theme of mysticism is often addressed to biblical stories, and the heroes of the works are Jesus Christ and Satan in different guises. Vivid examples are the tragedy "Faust" by Johann Goethe and the novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Mysticism, following folk ethnos and religion, has its own ways of conveying sensations, feelings and emotions, reflecting the world into which the reader must immerse. First of all, this is a borderline state of human consciousness, when his mind is dulled, and sensory sensations come to the fore. These are the state of sleep, immersion in detachment, the state of narcotic and alcohol intoxication. At these moments, a person is deprived of the ability to adequately perceive reality and can go beyond reality.
This technique is used in the ballad "Svetlana". On the night before Epiphany, the heroine sees a disturbing dream. Dreams dreamed that night are considered prophetic. Svetlana overcomes all obstacles and dangers in a dream, after which she wakes up, and in reality everything turns out to be fine. "Here misfortune is a false dream; happiness is an awakening."
In the short story "Ligeia" the hero is under the influence of opium, trying at least for a while to get rid of the mental anguish caused by the death of his beloved wife. He is so immersed in himself and his visions that when his second wife, a living person, dies in his arms, the hero is not so worried about her, ghosts appear to him, the image of Ligeia rises before him.
In the story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Allan Poe, the hero becomes an inveterate drunkard and slowly begins to lose himself. His behavior changes for the worse, he hurts those he loves, in a fit of anger he kills his wife: "My soul, it seemed, suddenly left the body; and anger, fiercer than the devil, inflamed by genie, instantly seized my whole being." He is haunted by terrible visions caused by remorse.
The technique of referring to the past is also often used. The stories "Black Dick" by Nikolai Gumilyov and "Metzengerstein" by Edgar Poe tell about the events of past years, turned into legends. According to the authors, these events cannot happen now, which their contemporary would hardly believe in them.
In the story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, the hero describes the past in a song: "Where the angels fluttered over the grass of their native valleys, the proud giant castle lit up with glitter." The joyful beginning of the song is contrasted with its ending: "The abode of black troubles; sinister laughter hovers in the darkness, there are no more smiles", as well as the whole atmosphere of the story, in which the story is about the moment of the present. The author seeks in the past that goodness, that light that he does not see in the present. The future oppresses him, it seems terrible, fatal and irreversible.
Another interesting way is to conduct rituals. The ballad Svetlana describes Christmas divination. In "Faust" the hero appeals to the spirits, wanting to comprehend the secrets of nature. Magic rituals are, as it were, a means of connecting a person with the world of supernatural forces, an opportunity to know it.
The main function of the folk ethnos and religion is educational, as well as the need to preserve the names of heroes and their exploits in history, which could serve as an example for future generations.
II. DIFFERENT FEATURES OF MYSTICISM. FUNCTIONS
Mysticism not only absorbs all these functions, but also goes further, acquiring its own distinctive features. The educational function is gradually losing its significance. Other goals come first:
exploration of the world of supernatural forces beyond the control of human consciousness;
attempts to determine the place and capabilities of a person in a world that is beyond his understanding;
disclosure of the eternal conflict of good and evil;
perception of the world by the reader with the soul, and not with the mind;
a veiled description of reality with the help of fantastic characters and phenomena;
creating a background, a special color;
attracting reader interest.
III. CREATIVITY OF NIKOLAI VASILIEVICH GOGOL
Now I want to turn directly to the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. I chose this author not by chance. His mystical works are the whole world, multifaceted, bright and colorful.
The whole life of the writer, creativity, death and even the reburial of his remains are associated with many inexplicable facts. The author's personal attitude to mysticism is peculiar. Throughout life and creative way he turns less and less to mysticism, as if afraid of its influence on his destiny. But the more diligently Gogol leaves mysticism in his work, the more it manifests itself in the fate of the writer. We will never know the contents of the second volume" dead souls and the reasons for its burning. However, it can be assumed that the answer lies in the same mysticism.
The reason for the inconsistency of Gogol's views, both on the real world and on the world of supernatural forces, mental unrest, in my opinion, should be sought in the author's childhood.
His mother, Maria Ivanovna, was deeply religious. However, her fate was not easy. She was orphaned early, married early, lost many of her children. Nicholas was the only surviving son and first child. Her care and concern for her son was special. She put her whole soul into it and conveyed religiosity as she perceived it herself. Faith for this woman was associated, first of all, with the fear of sin and the inevitability of punishment. Therefore, Gogol, following her, does not find in faith the boundless love, happiness and joy that his soul needs. And the soul tries to find solace in the pictures native nature, juicy, colorful, in folk colors - legends, rituals and, finally, in mysticism. By own confession writer, scary tales very interested and excited him. It is not accidental that the images of heroines associated with the world of supernatural forces are attractive. what a sad and beautiful image drowned women are drawn by Gogol in the story "May night, or a drowned woman." Depicting the lady-witch from Viy, the author writes: “before him lay a beauty that had ever been on earth. It seemed that features had never been formed in such a sharp and at the same time harmonious beauty. She lay as if she were alive.
But mysticism cannot replace faith. Gogol does not find peace of mind in nothing, and this internal conflict is reflected in his works.
The collection "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" was published in 1831-1832. This is the time when in public and political life countries, the ideas of populism appeared, and appeals to the themes and characters of the folk ethnos were very popular in culture. However, in my opinion, Gogol does not follow fashion, but takes on a topic that is interesting to him, not fully understood and studied. All the complexities of his perception of folk ethnos and mysticism were reflected in a bright kaleidoscope of stories.
With all the differences in plots, the personal choice of a person in the definition eternal questions good and evil that he does with his heart and his soul.
"Sorochinsky Fair", "Missing Letter" and "Enchanted Place" are funny, comic stories, where the heroes of the works are cheerful, reckless, and sometimes just stupid people. They are afraid evil spirits, but at the same time they enter into an argument with it and turn out to be stronger. In the "Sorochinsky Fair" there is no devil himself, there is only a legend about him, faith in which, on the contrary, leads to a good and happy denouement. Yes, and in the other two works, evil spirits can only do minor dirty tricks.
In two other stories, "May Night, or the Drowned Woman" and "The Night Before Christmas," evil spirits are directly involved in the fate of the main characters. The drowned pannochka helps Levko and Hanna, who are in love, find happiness. Like the devil, in the end, Vakula, the hero of the story "The Night Before Christmas", helps. Vakula is a real Ukrainian boy who works and lives honestly, his love for Oksana is pure and real. He was not afraid to go on a dangerous journey, to appear before the empress, to fight the devil. Vakula punished the devil, and did not sell his human soul to evil spirits. That's why he got the happiness he deserved.
Another choice is made by the heroes of Terrible Revenge and The Night Before Ivan Kupala.
In the first case, main character- a hereditary sorcerer, whose ancestor treacherously killed his best friend along with his son, is himself the embodiment of evil and destroys people close to him. Here are also biblical motifs because the children also bear the price of the sins of the fathers. Evil is defeated in the end, but at a very high price - at the cost of the lives of innocent people.
In the second case, the desire to marry the beloved girl and the thirst for profit, on the slander of the witches, push the main character Petrus to kill the child - his own brother. But what is desired, obtained in this way, does not bring happiness. Petrus goes crazy, turns into a handful of ashes, and money into broken shards.
The second collection "Mirgorod" includes the story "Viy".
In my opinion, Viy is Gogol's brightest mystical work. The ominous action unfolds either against the backdrop of bright nature, the calm and measured life of the Ukrainian village, or against the background of nature that inspires mystical horror. Gogol does not just create these mise-en-scenes. A bright and quiet world is easy to destroy, it turns out to be fragile. Only a truly strong and bright person is able to challenge the dark forces and protect his world. But is Khoma Brut so? Homa is a minion of fate, he is a pragmatist and a fatalist, besides he is phlegmatic and lazy. This is the main life principle: "what to be, that cannot be avoided." Reckless drinking, hearty food, fun in sorority- everything that is filled habitual life Homs are sins that make his soul weaker and weaker. Meeting with the lady, performance funeral rite over it are a test for his faith and soul. Did the main character survive? There is no clear answer to this. Having won dark forces he dies himself. The reader is left with only hope that his soul has been saved, he has atoned for his sins.
When describing the three nights when Khoma buries the deceased lady, Gogol uses a technique traditional for mystics. The state of the protagonist is close to hallucinations or to sleep, when everything around is perceived by the soul, and not by the mind.
It is impossible not to say about the images of pannochka and Viy.
Pannochka is a cruel, treacherous witch who can take the form of animals. She tortures people, drinks their blood. However, the image of the pannochka, created by the author, is not only mysterious, but also a certain attractiveness. Compassion arises in the soul of the reader. What made the lady become a witch? The author does not give an answer, allowing you to make an independent choice.
The image of Viy originated from the ancient folk beliefs. The old invincible evil lurks in the bowels of the earth, and people can always awaken it with their unreasonable behavior.
In his later works from the collection "Petersburg Tales" the writer in last time addresses the theme of mysticism. But only now these heroes are close to the reader and are ordinary inhabitants, the action of the works has been transferred from the Ukrainian hinterland to St. Petersburg. Heroes are far from the people, but they have the same weaknesses and vices.
In the story "The Nose", the hero loses his nose on the night from Thursday to Friday, when, according to popular belief, dark forces rule, and therefore dreams turn out to be prophetic. Also, according to dream books, a nose, especially a large one, means significance in society, well-being and success. Thus, Gogol characterizes his character. His soul is empty, it does not aspire to high purpose. All the efforts of the protagonist are aimed at creating their own social status, which, apart from a specific name, has no meaning. The hero is punished with his own nose, because his absence deprives his life of any meaning.
Of course, the image of the collegiate assessor Kovalev is comical, but the essence of the work is to reveal the flaws public consciousness not only of that era, but, unfortunately, of subsequent generations. At the same time, the methods and methods of mystical literature are ideal in this case for creating images of heroes.
The story "Portrait" is not like other mystical works of Gogol, here the philosophical and religious aspects come to the fore. The choice of the artist and creator. Firstly, is it worthy of a true creator to engage in art for enrichment and, secondly, how to avoid dark side talent and resist the temptation to create images that have demonic power.
The heroes of both the first and second parts of the work succumbed to temptation, although different reasons. Their souls took the side of evil, and evil manifested itself and affected the destinies of many people.
In his further work, Gogol refuses to turn to mysticism, although the fate of his heroes realistic works in one way or another, conduction influences. And the title of the novel Dead Souls is a response to mysticism.
I repeat that we do not know the content of the second volume of the novel, but perhaps the author nevertheless decided to return to the topic of supernatural forces. What was written became for him the most terrible revelation, which he considered necessary to destroy. The world of supernatural forces and its ability to influence the fate of a person remained unsolved for Gogol. Being originally the basis of the writer's spiritual contradictions, mysticism became a test and punishment for him.
Perhaps that is why mysticism in Gogol's work is so unique, inventive and multifaceted. The images he created still attract and excite the reader. And this is obvious. Man will always be interested in what is beyond his mind. The desire of a person to feel and feel the most mysterious and inexplicable world. But I would like to believe that, perceiving someone else's experience, the human soul will improve and turn into a world of light and goodness, a world where love and harmony triumph.
LIST OF LITERARY WORKS
Johann Goethe "Faust"
Oscar Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
Edgar Poe "The Raven", "Ligeia", "The Black Cat", "Metzengerstein", "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Vasily Zhukovsky "Lyudmila", "Svetlana"
Nikolai Gumilyov "Black Dick"
Mikhail Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita"
Nikolai Gogol "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka", "Viy", "Nose", "Portrait", "Dead Souls"
LITERATURE
www.wikipedia.ru
www.onlinedics.ru
www.gogol.biografy.ru
dictionary by T. F. Efremova
V. Dahl's dictionary
dictionary D. N. Ushakov
Goethe's tragedy Faust. Faust image. Analysis of the work "I V. Kabanova
1. Folklore as a source of mystical images in Gogol's work.
2. Evil spirits in collections of short stories.
3. Mysticism in the story "Portrait".
In dictionaries, you can find several definitions of the concept of "mysticism", but they all agree that this word means beliefs in a different reality inhabited by supernatural beings, as well as the opportunity to communicate with them people. folklore tradition different peoples preserved stories about various creatures of the other world, both kind and bright, benevolent towards people, and evil, hostile to God and people.
In the works of N.V. Gogol, mainly malevolent entities penetrate into the world of people, and their accomplices also act - evil sorcerers and witches. Only occasionally do people meet benevolent creatures from another world. And yet, in the works of the writer, there are much more evil people from another world than good ones. It is possible that such a “distribution of forces” reflected the wary attitude of people towards mysterious world, contact with which can lead to unpredictable consequences.
In the collection Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka, mystical motifs are heard in almost all stories, with the exception of one - Ivan Fedorovich Shponka and his aunt. In other stories, the degree of contact between people and the other world is different. In the story “Sorochinsky Fair”, the story about the mysterious red scroll can still be considered a joke, successfully picked up by a young man in love. But the superstitious Cossack Solopy Cherevik has no doubt that the ill-fated red sleeve, on which he now and then stumbles, is nothing but a sleeve from a chopped-up scroll of the devil! However, in this story, it is not the evil spirit itself that acts, but the human belief in its existence, and this “shadow” of evil spirits brings much more benefit than harm. Solopy hesitated, shook himself, but everything turned out well, his daughter and the Cossack Gritsko received Cherevik's consent to the marriage, and he himself successfully sold the goods brought to the fair.
A meeting with a mermaid, a lady who drowned herself because of the oppression of her stepmother, a witch, unexpectedly changes the life of the lad Levko and his beloved Hanna. Mermaid generously rewards young man for helping her find her stepmother. Thanks to the power of the drowned woman, Levko and Hanna finally become husband and wife despite the objections of the young man's father.
In the stories "The Missing Letter", "The Night Before Christmas", "The Enchanted Place" evil spirits are very active and unfriendly towards people. However, she is not so powerful that she cannot be defeated. We can say that the heroes of the stories "The Missing Letter" and "The Enchanted Place" got off lightly. The evil spirits played a joke on them, but they also let them go in peace, each remained with his own. And in the story "The Night Before Christmas", the meeting with the devil for the blacksmith Vakula turned out to be even useful - intimidating the devil, the blacksmith used him as vehicle and fulfilled the order of his capricious lover, brought her the Tsar Tsyn's little boots.
But in the stories "Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala" and " Terrible revenge", as well as in the story "Viy", included in another collection, "Mirgorod", evil spirits and their assistants - evil sorcerers are truly terrible. No, not even evil spirits are the worst of all, with the possible exception of the terrible Viy. Much scarier people: the sorcerer Basavryuk and the sorcerer from the story "Terrible Revenge", who killed all his loved ones. And the sinister Viy appears for a reason.
He comes to the witch's body to destroy the person who killed her.
“The devil is not so terrible as he is painted,” says common expression. Indeed, one can agree that in the works of Gogol, evil spirits often do not turn out to be so terrible, if the person himself is not afraid of it. Sometimes she even looks quite comical (remember the devil, planted in a bag by the witch Solokha and beaten by her son Vakula). Much scarier and more dangerous is a person who contributes to the penetration of evil into our world...
Mystical motives sound in the story "Portrait", included in the collection of "Petersburg Tales". However, in it they acquire an even deeper philosophical meaning. Talented artist unwittingly becomes the culprit of the fact that evil penetrates into the souls of people. The eyes of the usurer, whose portrait he painted, have an ominous effect on people. However, the artist did not have bad intentions, like those sorcerers who, of their own free will, helped evil spirits to act outrageously. Realizing what he has done, this person feels deep remorse. And the work itself was not a joy to him - he felt something mysterious and terrible in a man who at all costs wanted to be captured on the canvas: “He threw himself at his feet and begged to finish the portrait, saying that from this depends on his fate and existence in the world, that he has already touched his living features with his brush, that if he conveys them correctly, his life will be retained by supernatural power in the portrait, that he will not die completely through that, that he needs to be present in the world. My father was horrified by such words…”.
How can one not remember the terrible, deadly look of Viy! Who, really, was this usurer? Gogol does not give a direct answer to this question. The artist who painted the portrait and became a monk in repentance speaks of this to his son: “To this day I cannot understand what he was. strange image from which I wrote the image. It was, for sure, some kind of diabolical phenomenon ... I wrote it with disgust ... ". Yes, the eyes of the usurer depicted in the portrait became a kind of door through which evil entered the world of people: and the artist, who imprudently allowed these doors to remain open, asks his son, if the opportunity arises, to destroy the ominous image, to block the path of evil obsession, crippling human souls and fate. However, evil, having penetrated into the world of people, does not want to leave it: a strange portrait suddenly disappears from the hall where the auction is held, and the son is deprived of the opportunity to fulfill the will of his father. What other troubles will the ominous look do? ..
So, we can summarize all of the above. Gogol's interest in mysticism is undeniable: the writer has repeatedly developed plots in which a significant place is given to evil spirits and their helpers. Gogol also showed various results from the collision of a person with supernatural forces- from a completely harmless joke to terrible tragedy, while emphasizing the role of the human factor in the activities of people from another world.
Nikolai Gogol (1821-1852)
Nikolai Vasilyevich did a lot for the development of the Russian language, in addition, he managed to influence contemporary writers and descendants. Gogol's work is permeated with mysticism, religiosity, fantasy and mythology and folklore.
The mystical in Nikolai Vasilyevich appeared in the very first books. "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka" is simply filled with otherworldly forces. But still, most of all evil spirits and darkness are on the pages of the story "Viy", in which Khoma Brut tries to resist the witch, ghouls and werewolves. However, the struggle of the bursak, who has been burying the panochka for three nights, goes to waste when he looks into the eyes of Viy - a monster from the underworld with heavy eyelids hiding a deadly look.
Gogol in his story uses motives Slavic mythology, beliefs and folklore about scary demon. The writer managed to create a work from a fairy tale plot, which is considered the standard of mystical literature. This experience a hundred years later will be used by Bulgakov.
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
Fedor Mikhailovich, along with Gogol, is considered one of the greatest mystic writers of the 19th century. However, the basis of his mysticism is of a completely different nature and has a different character - in Dostoevsky's work there is a confrontation between good and evil, Christ and Antichrist, divine and demonic principles, the search for and disclosure of the mystical nature of the Russian people and Orthodoxy. A number of researchers connect the presence of the "otherworldly" in the writer's work with epilepsy, which was considered by the ancients as a "sacred disease". Probably, it was the seizures that could serve as a “window” into another reality, where Dostoevsky drew his revelations.
Some heroes of Dostoevsky are also "obsessed" - they suffer from similar illnesses; Prince Myshkin and Alyosha Karamazov can be called such. But characters in other works are also tormented internal contradictions and the search for the divine principle in oneself. Ivan Karamazov's conversation with the devil, Svidrigailov's nightmares about eternal life in the spider room. Dostoevsky reaches the pinnacle of the religious and philosophical anthropological revelation in The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor, told by Ivan Karamazov. "Adolescent". Dostoevsky connects the mystery of man with the mystery of Christ.
Leonid Andreev (1871-1919)
Andreev worked at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, in the period Silver Age. His works are close in spirit to the Symbolists, and he himself is often called the founder of Russian expressionism, but the writer himself did not belong to any circle of writers and poets.
Andreev's formation as a writer undoubtedly took place under the influence of fashionable modernist trends (and social trends - revolutionary sentiments and a thirst for change), but he developed his own own style. Andreev's work combines the features of skepticism, religiosity and mysticism (the writer was seriously fond of spiritualism), all this is reflected in his novels, short stories and short stories - "The Life of Basil of Thebes", "Judas Iscariot", "The Resurrection of All the Dead", "Satan's Diary ".
So in the "Life of Vasily of Thebes" the village priest tries to resurrect the dead - Andreev puts the desire to become a superman, to receive the energy of Christ into the madness of the hero. The act of resurrection is necessary for the transition from death to creativity, to infinite immortality. hanged” - starting from the symbolic number of those executed and ending with a terrible finale, where life goes on despite death.
By the way, the children followed in the footsteps of their father - three of his sons and a daughter became writers. Moreover, Daniil Leonidovich Andreev became a mystic writer already in the years of the USSR, his most significant work was the novel "Rose of the World", which he himself called a religious and philosophical doctrine. Andreev managed to combine art and religion in one book, explain the existence of several earthly dimensions, metahistory Russia and its significance for creativity, as well as to give forecasts for the historical perspective.
Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940)
In the work of Mikhail Afansevich, the occult is no less than the fantastic and mythological. Researcher V.I. Losev called Bulgakov the most enigmatic writer of the 20th century, who was able to "penetrate the essence of ongoing events and foresee the future. His characters are forced to exist at the junction of two worlds, sometimes crossing the line separating them. Like Gogol, Mikhail Afansevich combined invisible life with real life in his books.
Bulgakov's religious and philosophical overtones can be traced already in the 1920s, when the heroes of his stories open a conditional Pandora's box, releasing unknown forces into reality. Characters of the "Diaboliad", "Fatal Eggs", " dog heart”try on the role of gods, opening doors to the world for the other world - they invent a magic ray that affects evolution, or create a man from a dog.
But most of all, religious philosophy and mysticism is permeated central novel Bulagokva - "The Master and Margarita". Is it worth retelling the story about the coming of Satan to Moscow with his amazing retinue and what happened next? demons are in charge in the capital... In addition, the book has both biblical and historical subtexts (the Master's novel about Yeshua and Pontius Pilate) and a serious satire on Soviet society, exposing its vices (for which representatives of this society are punished, although not by God).
Boris Pasternak (1890-1960)
Pasternak is not usually attributed to any current of the Silver Age, although he was friends with the Symbolists and at one time associated with the Futurists. Yet Pasternak, like Andreev, stands apart. The first poetic experiments of Boris Leonidovich date back to 1913, when the first book of his poems was published. Only after the publication of the collection "Twin in the Clouds" Pasternak called himself a "professional writer."
The apotheosis of Pasternak's work was the novel "Doctor Zhivago" - grandiose in its conception. The book covers the period of Russian-Soviet history for almost 50 years, told through the life of Yuri Zhivago, a doctor and poet. Dmitry Bykov in the biography of the writer notes that in a multi-layered In the narrative of the novel, which is quite realistic, one can also find a symbolic beginning - the work is based on Pasternak's own life, but only the one that he would like to live.
Despite all the realism, "Doctor Zhivago" is permeated with religious mysticism and Christian philosophy - and this is most clearly revealed in Yuri Zhivago's poetry notebook. Pasternak's mysticism is not similar to Gogol's or Bulgakov's, since there is no evil spirit as such in the novel (there are only analogies or metaphors), rather it echoes what can be seen in Andreev - a man and his fate, a superman or a grain of sand in the flow of history. But the verses are completely different, their lyrics contain a lot of Christian and biblical mythology, the lives of Mary Magdalene and Christ are reflected in reality filled with symbols and signs.
Vladimir Orlov (b. 1936)
Orlov came to literature from journalism. It is believed that in most cases such transitions are more successful than reverse ones. Vladimir Viktorovich confirms this hypothesis with all his work.
If we talk about mysticism in his works, then it is most clearly expressed in the novel that marked the beginning of the Ostankino Stories cycle, Violist Danilov. The book was published in the early 80s of the last century and tells about a demon on a contract. Vladimir Danilov manages to between work in the orchestra, visit other worlds, travel in time and space, communicate with various evil spirits... Mysticism is intertwined with the fantastic and musical, and a lot of attention is paid to music in the novel - and sometimes one gets the feeling that it sounds on the pages of a book.
Victor Pelevin (b. 1962)
The life and work of Viktor Pelevin are shrouded in mysticism, or hoax, if you like. He leads a reclusive life and rarely appears in public, and even less often gives interviews. But in any case, even these rare and mean words recorded by journalists are not inferior in strength and depth to the writer's novels.
Viktor Olegovich became interested in Eastern mysticism and Zen Buddhism while being an employee of the Science and Religion magazine. Pelevin was imbued with esoteric literature by translating the texts of Carlos Castaneda. Search for Mystery, otherworldly symbols in real world, theoretical and practical magic were part of everyday life at the turn of the 80-90s of the last century.
The writer's hobbies are reflected in his works - vivid examples of this are "Omon Ra", "The Sorcerer Ignat and People", "Chapaev and the Void", "The Sacred Book of the Werewolf", "Lower Tundra" and others. Reality in Pelevin's books eludes the reader, the worlds change places, and it is not clear in which dimension the character, the narrator, the reader is now. At the same time, Pelevin was often credited with creating own religion, however, back in 1997, he stopped gossip on this topic.
Text: Vladimir Bolotin
Russian newspaper
The world of fiction in the general educational process has one of the central places and is the basis for the formation of a person as a person. And mysticism, as one of the realities of the surrounding world, was actively used by the classics of world literature for their work.
Mysticism in the work of Zhukovsky
V. A. Zhukovsky, with his inherent talent, brought an epic beginning to his ballads "Svetlana" and "Forest King" with the help of mysticism. In the ballad "Svetlana", describing the experiences of the heroine through the prism of mysticism, using a dream, as artistic technique, the poet very figuratively leads the reader to the understanding that only faith in God can protect a person from mystical manifestations.
The hero of the ballad "The Forest King", being under the influence of the mystical power of nature, dies from his own fears, which encourages the reader to fight his inner enemy - his fear, and overcoming himself in this struggle, a person finds himself.
Mysticism in Pushkin
Perfectly used mystical images to display his inner world A. S. Pushkin in the poem "Demons". His thoughts about the upcoming marriage, about the cholera that threatens his bride, and about the passion that torments him about this, the poet whimsically fused in "Demons".
Genre diversity of mystical literature
The fact that mysticism and reality are closely intertwined in our world, N.V. Gogol spoke with a peculiar sense of humor in his story "The Night Before Christmas". The very fact of the agreement between the devil and the blacksmith Vakula speaks of the fearlessness of the people, and that the existence of the other world does not scare a person much in the pursuit of happiness.
It is often difficult for a person to determine what is true in his life and what is false. Heroes of the philosophical play-fairy tale by M. Maeterlinck " Blue bird"- these are images-symbols that embody the forces dominating the earth. Tiltil and Mitil, with the help of a magical mystical stone, were able to see the objects and phenomena of life in their true light.
In search of the Blue Bird, which represents happiness, in order to bring it to earth, they needed to know this world. Performing this task, they understand that this world and the souls that inhabit it are inside the people themselves.
Inspiring in a play surrounding a person world, Maeterlinck shows that people need to wake up, look around and discover the incomparable beauty of the world, to know the value human love and kindness, understanding the need to live in peace with their neighbors on earth, imbued with a desire to know the world without exposing it to destruction.
The origins of the mystical in literature can also be traced back to P. Merimee in the Venus of Ill, a short story attributed by critics to mystical romanticism.
P. Merime used as an epigraph: “May the statue be merciful and supportive,” I exclaimed, “being so courageous!” lines from the work of the ancient Greek satirist Lucian of Samosata (125 - c. 180), from chapter 17 of his dialogue "A lover of lies, or Nevers." Undoubtedly, which served as the primary source, for P. Merimee and semantic load his works.
About the hero's attempts to overcome the influence of the mystical Guy de Maupassant in his story "The Eagle" he said about the hero's efforts: "A man feels next to him some kind of secret, inaccessible to his coarse and imperfect feelings, and tries to compensate for their impotence with the tension of the mind."
