Clues about Reuss and numerical symbolism in I. Bunin’s short story The Gentleman from San Francisco [Gospodin iz San-Frantsisko

Abstract

The article examines the name/title of the ‘high personage’ Reuss and the symbolic meaning of two numerals (XVII and 43, both palindromes of number 34 = 17 x 2), included by Bunin in his short story The Gentleman from San Francisco [Gospodin iz San-Frantsisko]. The author points out that the Roman numeral XVII (17) started to be perceived as unlucky under the influence of southern Italian superstitions which, in turn, originate from ancient Roman sepulchral inscriptions. Just like other Russian travellers, e. g. N. Lukhmanova, Bunin, a frequent visitor of southern Italy, may have gleaned those beliefs from the popular book La Smorfia or La Nuova Smorfia, which interprets dreams of people, objects, or situations. Next, the author addresses the Capri tradition of world literature, reminding the readers that the cultural perception of the island of Capri, where the gentleman from San Francisco ends up dying, is traditionally that of a happy rather than tragic place. Bunin becomes the first writer to associate the locus of Capri with themes hitherto completely incongruous with this blessed island, such as sickness, ageing, and death.