N. F. PAVLOV’S NOVEL “SCIMITAR” IN THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2021-6-112-120
Introduction. The author seems it relevant to appeal to the works of Nikolai Filippovich Pavlov, who left a significant impact on the Russian literature of the first half of the XIX century. He, being one of the first, raised the topic of social injustice and inhumanity of public orders. Though, the readers and critics of the 30s of the XIX century highly appreciated Pavlov’s works, the name of the author of the collections “Three Stories” and “New Stories” had become already among the “forgotten” by the end of the century. The scientists of Romanticism still mention N. Pavlov as a writer whose works were of a transitional nature and note his “movement” from romanticism to realism. Aim and objectives. The aim of the article is to analyze the ideological and thematic originality of Pavlov’s story “Scimitar” from the point of view of reflecting the social and cultural realities of Russia of the first third of the XIX century. Material and methods. The author examines Pavlov’s novel “Scimitar” included in the first collection of prose “Three Stories”, which became a triumph in the social and literary life of Russia of the 1830s. The author uses biographical, historical, cultural and comparative methods of research. Results and discussion. In the story “Scimitar” the author creates a true picture of the social relations and mores of the Russian society of the first third of the XIX century: he presents the social hierarchy, a special attitude to the military men and service, and the dueling tradition. The dramatic circumstances in which the main character finds himself reflect the moral and social problem of injustice, army brutality, escalating during the reign of Nicholas I. At the beginning of the story, the main character, undertaking the first steps in life, is full of enthusiasm for the future romantic dreams, which the reality subsequently cruelly destroys. The motif of doom refers to the image of the scimitar. The “bad” omen coming from folk mythology becomes prophetic, while the mother’s gift symbolically results in the hero’s death. Conclusion. In the romantic novel “Scimitar”, Pavlov artistically describes social relations and cultural traditions of the Russia of the first half of the XIX century. The themes of corporal punishment and social injustice in the army, which were topical for the 1830s, are reflected in the realistic literature of the early twentieth century.
Keywords: romantic novel, a seqular novel, theme, conflict, social problems
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Issue: 6, 2021
Series of issue: Issue 6
Rubric: LITERARY STUDIES
Pages: 112 — 120
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