Chichikov and 'Sinicism': N.V. Gogol's character through the Chinese classical tradition

R.F. Bekmetov

Kazan Federal University, Kazan, 420008 Russia

E-mail: bekmetov@list.ru

Received June 4, 2017

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Abstract

The paper considers a new understanding of the forms of presence of the “Eastern text” in the artistic consciousness of N.V. Gogol. It has been suggested that some images of N.V. Gogol's works (in particular, the figure of Chichikov from “Dead Souls”) can potentially be read in an unconventional context, namely through the prism of Far Eastern cultural thinking. Naturally, there is an established canon of interpretation of N.V. Gogol's works. The paper does not aim to overthrow or abandon the accepted interpretations. The primary purpose is to rather supplement, correct, and clarify it the updated methodology of literary studies. It is based on the cornerstone thesis that the meaning-generating model of Russian classical literature has not exhausted itself, and, therefore, any weighted judgment about it is of a complementary nature. The proposed model of interpretation correlates with M.M. Bakhtin's statement about the importance of attracting contexts, which are distant ethnoculturally and historically, for understanding concrete and complexly organized aesthetic phenomena. The concept of “big time” developed by M.M. Bakhtin has retained its relevance up to date. Hence, the necessity appears logically to disclose its rich content potential taking into account not only the Western discourse or national-Russian worldview, but also the Eastern spiritual knowledge.

Keywords: Russian literature, N.V. Gogol, East, “Sinicism”, methodology, text, interpretation

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For citation: Bekmetov R.F. Chichikov and “Sinicism”: N.V. Gogol's character through the Chinese classical tradition. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2018, vol. 160, no. 1, pp. 42–65. (In Russian)

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