Традиции Ф. М. Достоевского в новелле Т. Манна «Алчущие»

Abstract

The paper aims to reveal specificity of artistic interpretation of the “little man” theme in T. Mann’s short story “The Hungry” in the context of F. M. Dostoevsky’s literary influence. Relying on a comparative historical analysis, the researcher identifies similarity of the writers’ aesthetic attitudes. Both the authors analyze internal experience of people regarded as “insulted and humiliated”. To solve this artistic task, the Russian writer uses the personages’ confessional monologues, whereas the German novelist uses the “outside view” technique representing an outsider’s view on the problem of a “little man’s” suffering. Scientific originality of the study lies in the fact that the researcher for the first time provides a comparative analysis of psychologism techniques used in F. M. Dostoevsky’s novel “Poor Folk” and T. Mann’s short story “The Hungry”. As a result, it is shown that tackling the “little man” problem, both the authors emphasize the necessity of Christian love for one’s neighbor, consider it impermissible to humiliate a “little man’s” dignity because of his poverty and low social status.