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PROFESSOR OF IMMORTALITY

ALEXEY NIKOLAEVICH APUKHTIN1840–1893

Famous Russian poet. Author of a number of popular romances. From an old noble family. As a child I received a wonderful home education. He began writing poetry at the age of ten. All my life I admired the poetry of A.S. Pushkin. In 1852 he entered the Imperial School of Law. I studied brilliantly. He began to appear in print in 1854, that is, at the age of 14. After graduating from the School, he served first in the Ministry of Justice, and then in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Last years I was very sick.

Apukhtin began writing prose only at the end of his life - in the early 90s of the 19th century. Moreover, he made no attempts to publish his stories, although “The Diary of Pavlik Dolsky” and “From the Archives of Countess D.” are distinguished by undoubted literary merits and are of great interest in our time.

The story “Between Death and Life” was written in 1892. main idea story - “there is no death, there is only one endless life,” and the human soul, repeatedly returning to earth, by divine will, is infused into a new body, chosen by the Lord God himself.

Alexey Apukhtin

BETWEEN DEATH AND LIFE

C'est un samedi, a six

heures du matin, que je suis mort.

It was eight o'clock in the evening when the doctor put his ear to my heart, raised a small mirror to my lips and, turning to my wife, said solemnly and quietly:

- Everything is over.

From these words I guessed that I had died.

As a matter of fact, I died much earlier. For more than a thousand hours I lay motionless and could not utter a word, but occasionally I continued to breathe. Throughout my illness, it seemed to me that I was chained with countless chains to some blank wall that was tormenting me. Little by little the wall let go of me, the suffering decreased, the chains weakened and fell apart. Within two last days I was held by some kind of narrow ribbon; now it broke off, and I felt such lightness that I had never experienced in my life.

An unimaginable turmoil began around me. My large office, into which I was transferred from the beginning of my illness, was filled with people who all at once began to whisper, talk, and sob. The old housekeeper Yudishna even began to cry in a voice that was not her own. My wife fell on my chest with a loud cry; she cried so much during my illness that I wondered where her tears still came from. Of all the voices, the senile, rattling voice of my valet Savely stood out. Even in my childhood, he was assigned to me as an uncle and did not leave me all my life, but now he was already so old that he lived almost without anything to do. In the morning he gave me a robe and shoes, and then the whole day he drank birch tree “for health” and quarreled with the rest of the servants. My death did not so much upset him as it embittered him, and at the same time gave him unprecedented importance. I heard him ordering someone to go get my brother, reproaching someone and giving orders about something.

My eyes were closed, but I saw and heard everything that was happening around me.

My brother came in, focused and arrogant as always. My wife could not stand him, but she threw herself on his neck, and her sobs doubled.

“Come on, Zoya, stop, because you won’t help with tears,” the brother said in an impassive and as if learned tone, “Save yourself for the children, believe that he’s better off there.”

He struggled to free himself from her embrace and sat her down on the sofa.

“We need to make some orders right now... Will you allow me to help you, Zoya?”

- Oh, Andre, for God's sake, manage everything... Can I really think about anything?

She began to cry again, and her brother sat down at the desk and called the efficient young bartender, Semyon, over to him.

– You will send this announcement to “New Time”, and then send for the undertaker; Yes, you need to ask him if he knows a good psalm-reader?

“Your Excellency,” answered Semyon, bending down, “there is no need to send for the undertaker, there are four of them here in the morning at the entrance.” We drove them and drove them, but they didn’t come, and that’s all. Will you order them to be called here?

- No, I'll go out onto the stairs.

And the brother loudly read the announcement he had written:

- “Princess Zoya Borisovna Trubchevskaya announces with spiritual sorrow the death of her husband, Prince Dmitry Alexandrovich Trubchevsky, which followed on February 20, at 8 o’clock in the evening, after a grave and long illness. Funeral services are at 2 pm and 9 pm.” Is there anything else you need, Zoya?

- Yes, of course, nothing. But why did you write this terrible word: “sorrow”? Je ne puis pas souffrir ce mot. Mettez: with deep sorrow.

My brother corrected me.

– I am sending to “New Time”. Is this enough?

- Yes, of course, that’s enough. You can also see it in the Journal de S.-Pe(ters-bourg).

- Okay, I'll write in French.

- It doesn’t matter, they’ll transfer you there.

Brother left. My wife came up to me, sat down on a chair that stood near the bed, and looked at me for a long time with some kind of pleading, questioning look. In this silent look I read much more love and grief than in sobs and screams. She remembered our common life, in which there was a lot of all sorts of unrest and storms. Now she blamed herself for everything and thought about how she should have acted then. She was so lost in thought that she did not notice my brother, who had returned with the undertaker and had been standing next to her for several minutes, not wanting to disturb her thoughts. Seeing the undertaker, she screamed wildly and fainted. She was taken to the bedroom.

“Be calm, your Excellency,” said the undertaker, taking my measurements as unceremoniously as tailors once did, “we have everything in stock: both the cover and the chandeliers.” After an hour they can be transferred to the hall. And don’t be in any doubt about the coffin: the deceased’s coffin will be such that even a living person can lie in it.

The office began to fill up again. The governess brought the children.

Sonya rushed at me and sobbed just like her mother, but little Kolya stubbornly refused to come near me and roared with fear. Nastasya, his wife’s favorite maid, who had married the barman Semyon last year and was in last period pregnancy. She crossed herself sweepingly, she kept wanting to kneel down, but her stomach was in the way, and she lazily sobbed.

“Listen, Nastya,” Semyon told her quietly, “don’t bend over, no matter what happens.” You’d better go to your room: pray, and that’s enough.

- How can I not pray for him? - Nastasya answered in a slightly sing-song voice and deliberately loudly so that everyone could hear her. “It was not a man, but an angel of God.” Even now, just before his death, he remembered me and ordered that Sofya Frantsevna should always be with me.

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

For my work, I chose the topic “Mysticism in literature as a reflection of the world of the human soul.” Human psychology is based on a keen interest in everything mysterious and inexplicable, and I am no exception. This topic has aroused my interest since childhood. I read a series literary works containing elements of mysticism, I already have some reading experience behind me, which is enough to conduct a comparative analysis.

In my work I want to pay Special attention the works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The choice of the author is not accidental, since he is the most prominent representative of the 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 location mystical literature, its functions and significance for humans.

The tasks that I set for myself: the study of literary works of a mystical orientation by both Russian and foreign authors; search for common distinctive 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 or theological point of view. Therefore, I do not consider the definitions of mysticism given by philosophers, scientists and religious figures. Moreover, the debate 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 by T. F. Efremova);

teaching, belief, concept or inclination towards mysterious interpretation and ritual (source: V. Dahl's dictionary);

something mysterious, incomprehensible, inexplicable (source: D. N. Ushakov’s dictionary);

belief in the existence of supernatural forces with which man is mysteriously connected and capable of communicating (source: www.wikipedia.ru);

something that is beyond human understanding, but carries within it 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 boundaries of the human mind and which are perceived by man at the level of spiritual sensations.

Humanity has always shown interest in mysticism, including in painting, sculpture, music, alchemy, and literature. But if we see a picture, hear music, then we can only imagine what is described in words, understand it with our minds; It is important to perceive mystical literature not only with the five basic senses, but also with the sixth - the soul.

Mysticism originates in folk ethnicity 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 of good and evil and man's personal choice.

A striking example is Johann Goethe's tragedy "Faust". The main character, Doctor Faustus, is a man who lived long life, his mind is fed up. He tries to understand the world, but all attempts are fruitless. For a long time Faust lived as a recluse in his office, and he wants to taste the delights of life. His mind is strong, but his soul is weak, empty and helpless, as evidenced by disappointment in science, to which he devoted his whole life, an attempt at suicide and agreement to a deal with Mephistopheles. The weakness of Faust's soul is contrasted with 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 main character Dorian, a young talented youth, succumbs to the influence of Lord Henry. One after another, he commits terrible acts, destroying loved ones. Dorian's greatest fear is of growing old and losing his extraordinary beauty. When his artist friend draws his portrait, the young man says: “Oh, if only it could be the other way around! If the portrait grew old, and I remained young forever!” And his wish comes true. The portrait not only takes away the “extra” years, but also takes upon itself all of Dorian’s sins and misdeeds. Sometimes the hero tries to improve, but his thoughts are guided only by vanity. His soul is as weak as Faust's soul. She is unable to make her own choice and fight for it.

In Vasily Zhukovsky's ballads "Lyudmila" and "Svetlana" the heroes also stand before moral choice. The main characters of both ballads are waiting for the return of their lovers. One receives terrible news, and the other has a disturbing dream. Lyudmila begins to grumble at God: “No, the Creator is unmerciful; forgive everything; everything.” And in return she gets what she asks for - the girl is taken away by her dead groom: “The Creator heard your groan; your hour has struck, the end has come.” Svetlana is submissive to fate, she asks God to help her: “I pray and shed tears! Quench my sadness, comforter angel.” And her sweetheart comes to her, alive and still loving. “Our best friend in 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 commits extremely base acts. The pastor is trying to fight him, to guide the people around him to 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 hidden in him: “Everyone is given his own destiny, and it is not appropriate for us, nothing knowledgeable people, willfully interfere in the work of God's Providence." At the end, Black Dick, having taken on his real guise, turns into a terrible beast and dies. But evil is defeated at the cost of the life of an innocent girl, who is the embodiment of good in the story.

Many characters and symbols came to mysticism from ethnicity and religion. Not only fantastic, but also real creatures endowed with unusual properties are borrowed from there.

The black raven appears 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 old days,” “a terrible spirit,” “the dauntless prophet,” “the prophetic.”

The raven is contrasted with a dove - a symbol of peace, love, purity, hope. In the ballad "Svetlana" he is shown as a defender. The same work mentions another bird - a rooster, a symbol of the sun, dawn.

Not only living creatures, but even stones are a kind of sign, symbolizing the cult of fire, as in the story “Black Dick”. Other symbols are also mentioned in the same work: caves, as a way of entering another world in Celtic mythology; black stones are a sign of the presence of ancient dark forces, etc. The ballad “Svetlana” talks about another symbol - a mirror into which the heroine looks during fortune telling. A 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 serve as the tragedy "Faust" by Johann Goethe and the novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov.

Mysticism, following folk ethnicity and religion, has its own ways of conveying sensations, feelings and emotions, reflecting the world into which the reader must immerse himself. First of all, this borderline state consciousness of a person when his mind is dulled and sensory sensations come to the fore. These are the state of sleep, immersion in detachment, and the state of drug and alcohol intoxication. At these moments, a person is deprived of the ability to adequately perceive reality and can go beyond the boundaries of reality.

This technique is used in the ballad "Svetlana". On the night before Epiphany, the heroine has a disturbing dream. Dreams that occurred this night are considered prophetic. Svetlana overcomes all obstacles and dangers in a dream, after which she awakens, and in reality everything turns out to be fine. “Here misfortune is a false dream; happiness is awakening.”

In the short story “Ligeia,” the hero is under the influence of opium, trying to at least temporarily 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, he sees ghosts, and the image of Ligeia appears before him.

In the story "The Black Cat" by Edgar Poe, the hero becomes an alcoholic and slowly begins to lose himself. His behavior changes the worst side, he hurts those he loves, in a fit of anger he kills his wife: “My soul seemed to suddenly leave my body; and anger, fiercer than the devil, inflamed by gin, instantly overwhelmed my entire 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 events of past years that have been turned into legends. According to the authors, these events cannot happen now, and that their contemporary would hardly believe in them.

In the story “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Poe, the hero describes the past in a song: “Where angels fluttered through the grass of their native valleys, the proud giant castle illuminated with brilliance.” The joyful beginning of the song is contrasted by its ending: “The abode of black troubles; ominous laughter hovers in the darkness, there are no more smiles,” as well as the whole atmosphere of the story, in which the narration is about the present moment. The author is looking for that good in the past, 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 fortune-telling. In Faust, the hero appeals to the spirits, wanting to comprehend the secrets of nature. Magic rituals seem to be a means of connecting a person with the world of supernatural forces, an opportunity to cognize it.

The main function of a folk ethnic group and religion is educational, as well as the need to preserve in history the names of heroes and their exploits, which could serve as an example for future generations.

II. DISTINCTIVE 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 man in a world beyond his understanding;

revealing the eternal conflict between good and evil;

the reader’s perception of the world is from the soul, not from the mind;

veiled description of reality with the help of fantastic characters and phenomena;

creating a background and special coloring;

attracting reader interest.

III. WORK 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 writer’s entire life, creativity, death and even the reburial of his remains are associated with many inexplicable facts. The author's personal attitude towards mysticism is peculiar. Throughout life and creative path he turns to mysticism less and less, as if afraid of its influence on his destiny. But the more diligently Gogol moves away from mysticism in his work, the more strongly it manifests itself in the writer’s fate. 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 contradictory views of Gogol, 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, and lost many of her children. Nicholas was the only surviving son and first child. Her care and guardianship towards her son was special. She put her whole soul into it and conveyed religiosity the way she perceived it herself. For this woman, faith 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 peace in the pictures native nature, rich, colorful, in folk color - legends, rituals and, finally, in mysticism. By the writer's own admission, scary tales really interested and worried him. It is no coincidence that the images of heroines who are associated with the world of supernatural forces are attractive. What a sad and beautiful image of a drowned woman Gogol draws in the story “May Night, or the Drowned Woman.” Depicting the witch lady from Viy, the author writes: “before him lay a beauty such as had ever been on earth. It seemed that never before had the features been formed in such sharp and at the same time harmonious beauty. She lay there as if alive.”

But mysticism cannot replace faith. Gogol doesn't find peace of mind in nothing, and this one 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 ideas of populism emerged in the country, and appeals to themes and characters of the national ethnic group 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 ethnicity and mysticism are reflected in a bright kaleidoscope of stories.

With all the differences in the plots, the personal choice of a person in determining eternal questions good and evil, which he does with his heart and his soul.

“Sorochinskaya Fair”, “The Missing Letter” and “The Enchanted Place” are funny, comic stories where the heroes of the works are cheerful, reckless, and sometimes just stupid people. They are afraid of evil spirits, but at the same time they enter into an argument with it and turn out to be stronger. In “Sorochinskaya Fair” there is no devil himself, there is only a legend about him, faith in which leads, on the contrary, to a good and happy ending. 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 lady helps lovers Levko and Ganna find happiness. Like the devil, he ultimately helps Vakula, the hero of the story “The Night Before Christmas.” Vakula is a real Ukrainian guy 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. Therefore, he acquired the happiness he deserved.

The heroes of “A Terrible Vengeance” and “The Night Before Ivan Kupala” make a different choice.

In the first case, main character- a hereditary sorcerer whose ancestor treacherously killed his best friend together with his son, he himself is the embodiment of evil and destroys people close to him. There are also biblical motifs, since children also bear the price for the sins of the fathers. Evil is defeated in the end, but at a very high cost - the cost of the lives of innocent people.

In the second case, the desire to get the girl he loves as a wife and the thirst for profit, due to the slander of the witches, push the main character Petrus to kill a child - his own brother. But what you want, obtained in this way, does not bring happiness. Petrus goes crazy, turns into a handful of ashes, and the money into broken shards.

The second collection “Mirgorod” includes the story “Viy”.

In my opinion, “Viy” is Gogol’s most striking 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 backdrop of nature that inspires mystical horror. Gogol creates these mise-en-scenes for a reason. Light and quiet world 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 this what Khoma Brut turns out to be? Khoma is the darling of fate, he is a pragmatist and a fatalist, in addition, he is phlegmatic and lazy. This is the main one life principle: “What happens, cannot be avoided.” Daring drinking bouts, hearty food, fun in women's company - everything that fills Khoma's usual life - sins that make his soul weaker and weaker. The meeting with the lady and the performance of the funeral rites over her 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 can only hope that his soul was saved, he atoned for his sins.

When describing the three nights when Khoma performed the funeral service for the deceased lady, Gogol uses a technique traditional for mystics. The state of the main character is close to hallucinations or sleep, when everything around is perceived by the soul, and not by the mind.

One cannot help but mention the images of the lady and Viy.

Pannochka is a cruel, insidious witch who can take the form of animals. She tortures people, drinks their blood. However, the image of the lady created by the author is not devoid of not only mystery, but also a certain attractiveness. Compassion arises in the reader's soul. What made the lady become a witch? The author does not give an answer, allowing you to make your own choice.

The image of Viy arose from ancient folk beliefs. An old invincible evil lurks in the depths of the earth, and people with their unreasonable behavior can always awaken it.

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 people; the action of the works has been transferred from the Ukrainian hinterland to St. Petersburg. The 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 folk beliefs Dark forces rule, which is why dreams turn out to be prophetic. Also, according to dream books, a nose, especially a large one, means importance in society, well-being and success. Thus, Gogol characterizes his character. His soul is empty, it does not strive for a high goal. All the efforts of the main character are aimed at creating his own social status, which besides a specific name has no meaning. The hero is punished with his own nose, because its absence deprives his life of all meaning.

Of course, the image of the collegiate assessor Kovalev is comical, but the essence of the work lies in revealing the flaws public consciousness not only of that era, but also, 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 Gogol’s other mystical works; here the philosophical and religious aspects come to the fore. The choice of the artist and creator. Firstly, is it worthy for a true creator to engage in art for enrichment and, secondly, how to avoid the dark side of talent and not succumb to the temptation of creating images that have demonic power.

The heroes of both the first and second parts of the work succumbed to temptation, although various reasons. Their souls sided with evil, and evil manifested itself and affected the destinies of many people.

In his further creativity Gogol refuses to turn to mysticism, although the fate of the heroes of his realistic works is influenced in one way or another by conduct. And the title of the novel is " 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 theme of supernatural forces. What was written became a terrible revelation for him, which he considered necessary to destroy. The world of supernatural forces and its ability to influence a person’s fate remained unsolved for Gogol. Originally the basis of the writer’s spiritual contradictions, mysticism became a test and punishment for him.

Perhaps this is why the 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. A person’s desire to feel and experience for himself the mysterious and inexplicable world. But I would like to believe that, by perceiving other people’s experience, the human soul will improve and turn into a world of light and goodness, into 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 by D. N. Ushakov

"Goethe's tragedy Faust." The image of Faust. Analysis of the work" I V. Kabanova

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 appeared in Nikolai Vasilyevich’s very first books. “Evenings on a farm near Dikanka” are simply filled with otherworldly powers. But still, most of all evil 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 student, who spends three nights singing the funeral service for the lady, goes to dust when he looks into the eyes of Viy - a monster from the underworld with heavy eyelids hiding a deadly gaze.

Gogol uses motifs in his story Slavic mythology, beliefs and folklore about a terrible demon. The writer managed to create from fairy tale plot a work considered the standard of mystical literature. Bulgakov will use this experience a hundred years later.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)

Fyodor Mikhailovich, along with Gogol, is considered one of the greatest mystical 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 and revelation 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 a “sacred disease” by the ancients. Probably, it was the seizures that could serve as a “window” into another reality, where Dostoevsky drew his revelations.

Some of Dostoevsky’s heroes are also “possessed” - they suffer from similar illnesses; Prince Myshkin and Alyosha Karamazov can be called such. But the characters in other works are also tormented by internal contradictions and the search for the divine principle in themselves. Ivan Karamazov’s conversation with the devil, Svidrigailov’s nightmares about eternal life in a room with spiders. Dostoevsky reaches the pinnacle of religious and philosophical anthropological revelation in “The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor”, told by Ivan Karamazov. This story, according to Berdyaev, is a kind of quintessence of the paths traversed by man in “Crime and Punishment”, “The Idiot”, “Demons” and “A teenager.” Dostoevsky connects the mystery of man with the mystery of Christ.

Leonid Andreev (1871-1919)

Andreev created on turn of XIX-XX centuries, during 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 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 interested in spiritualism), all of this is reflected in his novels, novellas and stories - “The Life of Vasily of Fiveysky”, “Judas Iscariot”, “The Resurrection of All the Dead”, “The Diary of Satan” "

So in “The Life of Vasily of Fiveysky” rural pop tries to resurrect the dead - Andreev puts into the hero’s madness the desire to become a superman, to receive the energy of Christ. The act of resurrection is necessary for the transition from death to creativity, to endless immortality. The other side of Andreev’s mysticism is noticeable in “The Tale of the Seven Hanged” - starting from the symbolic number of those executed and ending with the terrible finale, where life continues despite death.

By the way, the children also followed in their father’s footsteps - three of his sons and daughter became writers. Moreover, Daniil Leonidovich Andreev became a mystical writer already during the years of the USSR, his most significant work was the novel “Rose of the World,” which he himself called a religious and philosophical teaching. 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 give forecasts for the historical perspective.

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940)

In the work of Mikhail Afansevich there is no less occult than fantastic and mythological. Researcher V.I. Losev called Bulgakov the most mysterious writer XX century, who was able to “penetrate the essence of current 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 Afansievich combined invisible life with real life in his books.

Bulgakov’s religious and philosophical subtext can be traced back to the 1920s, when the heroes of his stories open a conventional Pandora’s box, releasing unknown forces into reality. Characters of "Diaboliad" Fatal eggs”, "Heart of a Dog” try on the roles of gods, opening doors to the world for the otherworldly - inventing a magic ray that affects evolution, or creating a man from a dog.

But most of all it is permeated with religious philosophy and mysticism. central novel Bulagokva - “The Master and Margarita”. Is it worth retelling the story about the coming of Satan with his amazing retinue to Moscow and what happened next? It’s as if the worlds are shifting, realities are changing places and a cat with a primus is walking through the streets, witches are flying in the sky, demons rule the capital... In addition, the book has biblical and historical overtones (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 usually not classified as a member of any movement of the Silver Age, although he was friends with the Symbolists and at one time communicated with the Futurists. Still, Pasternak, like Andreev, stands apart. Boris Leonidovich's first poetic experiments date back to 1913, when the first book of his poems was published. Only after the publication of the collection “Twin in the Clouds” did Pasternak call himself a “professional writer.”

The apotheosis of Pasternak’s work was the novel “Doctor Zhivago” - grandiose in its concept. 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 writer’s biography notes that in a multi-layered In the narration of the novel, which is quite realistic, one can also find a symbolic beginning - the basis of the work is own life Pasternak, but only the one 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 the notebook of poems by Yuri Zhivago. Pasternak’s mysticism is not similar to Gogol’s or Bulgakov’s, since in the novel there is no evil spirit as such (there are only analogies or metaphors), rather it echoes what can be seen in Andreev’s work - man and his destiny, a superman or a grain of sand in the stream of history. But the poems 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 the reverse ones. Vladimir Viktorovich confirms this hypothesis with all his creativity.

If we talk about mysticism in his works, then it is most clearly expressed in the novel that marked the beginning of the cycle “Ostankino Stories”, “Violist Danilov”. The book was published in the early 80s of the last century and talks about a demon on a contract. Vladimir Danilov manages to during breaks 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 you get 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 the life of a recluse and rarely appears in public, and even less often gives interviews. But in any case, even these rare and meager 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 working for the magazine “Science and Religion.” Pelevin became imbued with esoteric literature while translating texts by 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 - bright ones examples are “Omon Ra”, “The Sorcerer Ignat and the People”, “Chapaev and the Void”, “The Sacred Book of the Werewolf”, “The Lower Tundra” and others. Reality in Pelevin's books eludes the reader, worlds change places, and it is not clear in which dimension the character, the narrator, the reader are now located. At the same time, Pelevin was often credited with creating his own religion, but back in 1997 he stopped gossip on this topic.

Text: Vladimir Bolotin

Russian newspaper

Man with difficult fate, who had difficult relationship with authority, he wrote rather caustic satire on social order, and his play is about “whites” with great success was on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater. But thanks to myself famous novel- “The Master and Margarita” - Mikhail Afanasyevich is considered a mystical writer. Today we decided to remember Russian writers who were fond of mysticism, which was reflected in their works.

Nikolai Gogol (1821-1852)

Gogol in his story uses motifs from Slavic mythology, beliefs and folklore about a terrible demon. The writer managed to create a work from a fairy-tale plot that is considered the standard of mystical literature. Bulgakov will use this experience a hundred years later.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)

Some of Dostoevsky’s heroes are also “possessed” - they suffer from similar illnesses; Prince Myshkin and Alyosha Karamazov can be called such. But the characters in other works are also tormented by internal contradictions and the search for the divine principle in themselves. Ivan Karamazov’s conversation with the devil, Svidrigailov’s nightmares about the eternal life in a room with spiders. Dostoevsky reaches the pinnacle of religious and philosophical anthropological revelation in “The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor”, told by Ivan Karamazov. This story, according to Berdyaev, is a kind of quintessence of the paths traversed by man in “Crime and Punishment”, “The Idiot”, “Demons” and “Teenager”. Dostoevsky connects the mystery of man with the mystery of Christ.

Leonid Andreev (1871-1919)

Andreev worked at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, during the 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 thirst for change), but he developed his own style. Andreev’s work combines the features of skepticism, religiosity and mysticism (the writer was seriously interested in spiritualism), all of this is reflected in his novels, novellas and stories - “The Life of Vasily of Fiveysky”, “Judas Iscariot”, “The Resurrection of All the Dead”, “The Diary of Satan” "

So in “The Life of Vasily of Fiveysky” a rural priest tries to resurrect a dead man - Andreev puts into the hero’s madness the desire to become a superman, to receive the energy of Christ. The act of resurrection is necessary for the transition from death to creativity, to endless immortality. The other side of Andreev’s mysticism is noticeable in “The Tale of Seven hanged” - starting from the symbolic number of those executed and ending with the terrible finale, where life continues despite death.

Mikhail Bulgakov (1891-1940)

In the work of Mikhail Afansevich there is no less occult than fantastic and mythological. Researcher V.I. Losev called Bulgakov the most mysterious writer of the 20th century, who was able to “penetrate the essence of current 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 Afansievich combined invisible life with real life in his books .

Bulgakov’s religious and philosophical subtext can be traced back to the 1920s, when the heroes of his stories open a conventional Pandora’s box, releasing unknown forces into reality. The characters of “The Diaboliad”, “Fatal Eggs”, “Heart of a Dog” try on the roles of gods, opening doors to the world for the otherworldly - inventing a magic ray that affects evolution, or creating a man from a dog.

But most of all, Bulagokva’s central novel, “The Master and Margarita,” is permeated with religious philosophy and mysticism. Is it worth retelling the story of Satan’s coming to Moscow with his amazing retinue and what happened next? Worlds seem to shift, realities change places and streets a cat with a primus is walking around, witches are flying in the sky, demons are in charge of the capital... In addition, the book has biblical and historical overtones (the Master’s novel about Yeshua and Pontius Pilate) and a serious satire on Soviet society, exposing its vices (for which they are punished representatives of this society, although not by God).

Boris Pasternak (1890-1960)

The apotheosis of Pasternak’s work was the novel “Doctor Zhivago” - grandiose in its concept. 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 writer’s biography 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.

Vladimir Orlov (b. 1936)

If we talk about mysticism in his works, then it is most clearly expressed in the novel that marked the beginning of the cycle “Ostankino Stories”, “Violist Danilov”. The book was published in the early 80s of the last century and talks about a demon on a contract. Vladimir Danilov manages to In the breaks between work in the orchestra, visit other worlds, travel through 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 it feels like it sounds on the pages of a book.

Victor Pelevin (b. 1962)

Viktor Olegovich became interested in Eastern mysticism and Zen Buddhism while working for the magazine “Science and Religion.” Pelevin became imbued with esoteric literature while translating texts by Carlos Castaneda. The search for Mystery, otherworldly symbols in the 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 the People”, “Chapaev and the Void”, “The Sacred Book of the Werewolf”, “The Lower Tundra” and others. Reality in Pelevin's books eludes the reader, worlds change places, and it is not clear in which dimension the character, the narrator, the reader are now located. At the same time, Pelevin was often credited with creating his own religion, but back in 1997 he stopped gossip on this topic.

1. Folklore as a source of mystical images in Gogol’s works.
2. Evil spirits in collections of stories.
3. Mysticism in the story “Portrait”.

In dictionaries you can find several definitions of the concept “mysticism”, but they all agree that this word means beliefs in another reality inhabited by supernatural beings, as well as the opportunity for people to communicate with them. Folklore tradition different nations preserved stories about various creatures of another world, both good and bright, well-disposed towards people, and evil, hostile to God and people.

In the works of N.V. Gogol, it is mainly malicious entities that penetrate into the world of people, and their accomplices also act - evil sorcerers and witches. Only occasionally do people encounter benevolent creatures from another world. And yet, in the works of writers there are much more evil people from another world than good ones. Perhaps this “distribution of forces” reflected people’s wary attitude towards the 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 the 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 “Sorochinskaya 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 Solopiy Cherevik has no doubt that the ill-fated red sleeve that he keeps coming across is nothing more than a sleeve from the devil’s chopped up scroll! However, in this story it is not the evil spirits themselves that act, but the human belief in their existence, and this “shadow” of the evil spirits brings much more benefit than harm. Solopiy suffered and was shaken up, 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 due to the oppression of her stepmother-witch - unexpectedly changes the life of the boy Levko and his beloved Ganna. The mermaid rewards generously young man for helping her find her stepmother. Thanks to the power of the drowned woman, Levko and Ganna 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” the 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 easy. The evil spirits played a joke on them, but also let them go in peace, each one left to his own. And in the story “The Night Before Christmas,” the meeting with the devil turned out to be even useful for the blacksmith Vakula - having scared the devil, the blacksmith used him as a vehicle and fulfilled the order of his capricious lover, bringing her the Tsarina’s slippers.

But in the stories “The Evening on the Eve of Ivan Kupala” and “ Terrible revenge", as well as in the story "Viy", included in another collection, "Mirgorod", the evil spirits and their assistants - evil sorcerers - are truly terrible. No, it’s not even the evil spirits that are the most terrible, with the possible exception of the creepy Viy. Much people are scarier: 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 man who killed her.

“The devil is not as terrible as he is painted,” says a common expression. Indeed, we can agree that in Gogol’s works, evil spirits often do not turn out to be so terrible if the person himself is not afraid of them. Sometimes she even looks quite comical (remember the devil put in a bag by the witch Solokha and beaten by her son Vakula). Much scarier and more dangerous person, which contributes to the penetration of evil into our world...

Mystical motives are also heard in the story “Portrait”, included in the collection “ Petersburg stories" However, in it they acquire an even deeper philosophical meaning. Talented artist unwittingly becomes the culprit of the fact that evil penetrates the souls of people. The eyes of the moneylender, 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 the evil spirits rampage. Having realized what he had done, this man experiences 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 him to finish the portrait, saying that from this his fate and existence in the world depend on the fact that he has already touched its living features with his brush, that if he conveys them correctly, his life will be retained in the portrait by supernatural force, that through this he will not die completely, that he needs to be present in the world. My father felt horror from such words...”

How can one not remember Viy’s creepy, deathly gaze! Who exactly was this moneylender? Gogol does not give a direct answer to this question. The artist, who painted the portrait and became a monk in repentance, speaks about it to his son: “To this day I cannot understand what that strange image was from which I painted the image. It was definitely some kind of devilish phenomenon... I wrote it with disgust...” Yes, the eyes of the moneylender depicted in the portrait became a kind of doors 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 to the evil obsession that cripples human souls and fate. However, evil, having penetrated the human world, does not want to leave it: a strange portrait suddenly disappears from the hall where the auction is being held, and the son is deprived of the opportunity to fulfill the will of his father. What other troubles will an ominous look cause?..

So, we can summarize all of the above. Gogol's interest in mysticism is undeniable: the writer repeatedly developed plots in which a significant place was devoted to evil spirits and their assistants. Gogol also showed various results from a person’s collision with supernatural powers- from a completely harmless joke to a terrible tragedy, while emphasizing the role human factor in the activities of people from another world.