The concept of divine providence in N. V. Gogol’s story “Taras Bulba”
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2023-6-111-121
At the turn of the XVIII–XIX centuries, history, which was traditionally considered as part of literature, art, acquires the status of science. At this time, its branches such as philosophy of history, source studies, etc. are intensively developing, a scientific methodology for studying and describing the past is being formed. Gogol’s understanding of history approaches at least two concepts established in the historical science of the first third of the XIX century: biblical historicism and universal history. The initial idea for both is the postulate about the action of Divine providence in the earthly existence of an individual and all mankind. In Gogol’s picture of the world, the idea of Fishing was established quite early and was reflected in historical journalism, letters and works of art. The Christian concept of Divine providence is also read in the artistic system of the story “Taras Bulba”, defining its chronotopic and motivic organization, the system of characters. To determine the features of Gogol’s historiosophical concept and the author’s strategies of its artistic embodiment in the story “Taras Bulba”. The research material was Gogol’s artistic and journalistic works, as well as his epistolary. The material is analyzed in religious-philosophical and historical-literary aspects. According to the results of the study, a conclusion is made about the specifics of Gogol’s historiosophical views, including the artistic historiosophy embodied in “Taras Bulba”. In the poetics of “Taras Bulba”, the idea of Divine providence can be traced not only at the conceptual level, but also in the motivic complex and chronotopic organization. The motivic complex of “Taras Bulba” includes the following semantic links: the will of God and the free will of man, the situation of choice, the search for one’s place/destiny, the fulfillment of one’s duty as a manifestation of free obedience to God, etc. The chronotope of the story is characterized by a combination of different time plans, which allows the author to show history as an integral system, pointing out the causes of events and their consequences, as well as to present the historical process and the earthly existence of man in the vector of Divine Providence. Depicting the past of Russia, Gogol focuses on the fact that the “stone fabric” of great history is woven from the “threads of biographical” private stories, that the historical process is the result of a dialogue between the free will of man and Divine providence. “Taras Bulba” is characterized by a multifaceted and mobile optics of the image, which focuses on both epochal events of national history and personal stories of individual characters, including details of the description of their inner world.
Keywords: N. V. Gogol, “Taras Bulba”, historiosophy, Divine providence, biblical historicism, universal history, the motive of freedom of choice, the motive of the search for one’s own destiny
References:
1. Vasil’yev S. A. Traditsii otechestvennogo literaturnogo religiozno-filosofskogo eposa v proizvedeniyakh N. V. Gogolya [Traditions of the Russian literary religious and philosophical epic in the works of N. V. Gogol]. Vestnik Literaturnogo instituta im. A. M. Gor’kogo – Vestnik of Gorky Literary Institute, 2009, no. 1, pp. 30–42 (in Russian).
2. Mineralov Yu. I. O dvukh redaktsiyakh “Tarasa Bul’by” [About two editions of “Taras Bulba”]. Vestnik Literaturnogo instituta im. A. M. Gor’kogo – Vestnik of Gorky Literary Institute, 2009, no. 1, pp. 55–79 (in Russian).
3. Perov Yu. V., Sergeev K. A. “Filosofiya istorii” Gegelya: ot substantsii k istorichnosti [Hegel’s “Philosophy of History”: from Substance to Historicity]. In: Gegel’ G. V. F. Lektsii po filosofii istorii [Lectures on the philosophy of history]. Translation from German by A. M. Woden. Saint Petersburg, Nauka Publ., 2000. Pp. 5–53 (in Russian).
4. Mochul’skiy K. V. Dukhovnyy put’ Gogolya [Gogol‘s Spiritual Path]. In: Mochul’skiy K. V. Gogol’. Solov’yov. Dostoyevskiy [Gogol. Soloviev. Dostoevsky]. Compilation and afterword by V. M. Tolmachev. Moscow, Respublika Publ., 1995. 607 p. (in Russian).
5. Gogol’ N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem: v 17 tomakh. Tom 15: Perepiska. 1848–1852 [The complete collection of works and letters: in 17 volumes. Volume 15: Correspondence. 1848–1852]. Comp., preparation of texts and com. I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 624 p. (in Russian).
6. Biografiya Shlyotsera. Perevod s nemetskogo [Biography of Schletzer. Translation from German]. Severnyy arkhiv, 1826, no. 14–15, pp. 113–119 (in Russian).
7. Gogol’ N. V. Shlyotser, Miller i Gerder [Schletzer, Miller and Herder]. In: Gogol N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem v 17 tomakh. Tom 7: Yunosheskiye opyty. Pervonachal’nyye redaktsii [Complete Works and Letters: in 17 volumes, volume 7]. Comp., preparation of texts and com. I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 816 p. (in Russian).
8. Gogol’ N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem: v 17 tomakh. Tom 10: Perepiska. 1820–1834 [The complete collection of works and letters: In 17 volumes. Volume 10: Correspondence. 1820–1834]. Comp., preparation of texts and com. I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 392 p. (in Russian).
9. Gogol’ N. V. Istoricheskiye aforizmy Mikhaila Pogodina [Historical aphorisms of Mikhail Pogodin]. In: Gogol N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem v 17 tomakh. Tom 7: Yunosheskiye opyty. Pervonachal’nyye redaktsii [Complete Works and Letters: in 17 volumes, volume 7]. Comp., preparation of texts and com. I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 816 p. (in Russian).
10. Gogol’ N. V. O prepodavanii vseobshchey istorii [About teaching universal history]. In: Gogol N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem v 17 tomakh. Tom 6. Vybrannyye mesta iz perepiski s druz’yami. Dukhovnaya proza. Kritika. Publitsistika [Complete Works and Letters: in 17 volumes, volume 6. Selected places from correspondence with friends. Spiritual prose. Criticism. Publicism]. Comp., preparation of texts and com. I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 742 p. (in Russian).
11. Shlyotser A. L. Predstavleniye vseobshchey istorii [Representation of universal history]. Translation from German by A. Barsov. Moscow, Universitetskaya tipografiya V. Okorokova Publ., 1791. 268 p. (in Russian).
12. Droyzen I. G. Istorika [The historian]. Saint Petersburg, Vladimir Dal’ Publ., 2004. 582 p. (in Russian).
13. Boplan G. de. Opisaniye Ukrainy [Description of Ukraine]. Translation form French by N. Ustryalov. Saint Petersburg, Tip. Karla Krayya Publ., 1832. 179 p. (in Russian).
14. Bantysh-Kamenskiy D. N. Istoriya Maloy Rossii: v 3 tomakh. Tom 2 [The History of Little Russia: in 3 volumes. Volume 2]. Moscow, Tip. Semena Selivanovskogo Publ., 1830. 470 p. (in Russian).
15. Gogol’ N. V. O malorossiyskikh pesnyakh [About songs of Malorossia] In: Gogol N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem v 17 tomakh. Tom 7: Yunosheskiye opyty. Pervonachal’nyye redaktsii [Complete Works and Letters: in 17 volumes, volume 7]. Comp., preparation of texts and com. I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 816 p. (in Russian).
16. Neklyudov S. Yu. Epos v mirovoy literature [Epic in world literature]. Shagi, 2015, no. 2, vol. 1, pp. 7–22 (in Russian).
17. Denisov V. D. K voprosu ob istoricheskoy osnove povesti N. V. Gogolya “Taras Bul’ba” (1835) [On the question of the historical basis of N. V. Gogol’s story “Taras Bulba” (1835)]. Izvestiya Rossiyskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta im. A. I. Gertsena. Yazykoznaniye i literaturovedeniye – Izvestia: Herzen University Journal of Humanities and Sciences, 2010, no. 137, pp. 84–94 (in Russian).
18. Gogol’ N. V. Vzglyad na sostavleniye Malorossii [A look at the compilation of Malorossia]. In: Gogol N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem v 17 tomakh. Tom 7: Yunosheskiye opyty. Pervonachal’nyye redaktsii [Complete Works and Letters: in 17 volumes, volume 7]. Comp., preparation of texts and comments I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 816 p. (in Russian).
19. Krivonos V. Sh. Povesti Gogolya: Prostranstvo smysla [Gogol’s Novellas: The Space of Meaning]. Samara, SGPU Publ., 2006. 442 p. (in Russian).
20. Gogol’ N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem: v 17 tomakh. Tom 12: Perepiska 1842–1844 [The complete collection of works and letters: in 17 volumes. Volume 12: Correspondence. 1842–1844]. Comp., prepared texts and comments I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropayev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 704 p. (in Russian).
21. Vinogradov I. A. Kommentarii. Neizvestnyy “Mirgorod” [Comments. Unknown “Mirgorod”]. In: Gogol’ N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem: v 17 tomakh. Tom 1: Vechera na khutore bliz Dikan’ki; Tom 2: Mirgorod [The complete collection of works and letters: in 17 volumes. Volume 1: Evening on a farm near Dikanka; Volume 2: Mirgorod]. Comp., prepared texts and comments I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarhii Publ., 2009. Pp. 570–630 (in Russian).
22. Gogol’ N. V. Taras Bul’ba [Taras Bul’ba]. In: Gogol’ N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem: v 17 tomakh. Tom 1: Vechera na khutore bliz Dikan’ki; Tom 2: Mirgorod [The complete collection of works and letters: in 17 volumes. Volume 1: Evening on a farm near Dikanka; Volume 2: Mirgorod]. Comp., prepared texts and comments I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 664 p. (in Russian).
23. Dostoevskiy F. M. Brat’ya Karamazovy [The Brothers Karamazov]. Moscow, E Publ., 2016. 1056 p. (in Russian).
24. Gogol’ N. V. Polnoye sobraniye sochineniy i pisem: v 17 tomakh. Tom 9: Vypiski iz tvoreniy Svyatykh Otsov. Kanony i pesni tserkovnyye. Slovari. Zapisnyye knizhki [Complete Works and Letters: in 17 vol., vol. 9. Extracts from the works of the Holy Fathers. Canons and songs of the church. Dictionaries. Notebooks]. Comp., prepared texts and comments I. A. Vinogradov, V. A. Voropaev. Moscow, Izdatel’stvo Moskovskoy Patriarkhii Publ., 2009. 968 p. (in Russian).
( 499.7 kB ) 
( 484.48 kB )
Issue: 6, 2023
Series of issue: Issue 6
Rubric: RUSSIAN LITERATURE AND LITERATURE OF THE PEOPLES OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Pages: 111 — 121
Downloads: 228