Artistic space in I.S. Turgenev’s prose poem «threshold» and in chinese literature of the XX century

Abstract

The popularity of «Prose Poems» (1878–1882) by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev dates back more than a hundred years, while they remain the very first works of the writer, translated into Chinese. The study of Turgenev has gained particular relevance in China. This article discusses the understudied issue of the influence of the Turgenev’s prose poem «Threshold» on Chinese literature through the example of the work of the classics of Chinese literature of the first half of the 20th century, such as Lu Xin (1881–1936), the father of the modern Chinese novel, Li Ni (1913–1968), the singer of «sorrow and grief», and Lu Li (1908–1942), one of the founders of the new Chinese lyrical prose. Using the comparative method, the article analyses the artistic features of the following prose poems: «The Traveler» by Lu Xin, «The Falcon Song» by Li Ni, and «The Door and the Recluse» by Lu Li. The author reveals the significant influence that the philosophical ideas of Turgenev and his creative style had on these writers and Chinese literature in general. The comparative analysis shows that in the poems of Lu Sin and Li Ni, the spatial characteristics of Turgenev's prose poem «The Threshold» are recreated, while Lu Li was inspired by the philosophical meaning of this work of art. In this way, opening a new page for Russian literary scholars in the history of the relationship between Russian and Chinese cultures, the research topic and the analysis done reveal new material for Russian literary studies about on the history of the reception of Turgenev‘s creative work in China.